Spruce Up the Garden for Spring
Spring is definitely in the air, and it is the perfect time to get out into the garden and start setting up a beautiful display of plants and accessories.
12/09/2021
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Select plants that bring colour and interesting patterns to the garden.
I do love gardening during spring when the weather isn't too hot, and a rainbow of colourful annuals and perennials are on display at my local garden centre. September is the month where I go out and purchase an array of colourful plants to put into the various beds and borders around the garden, keeping in mind that I want the plants to provide plenty of colour during the months ahead.
When choosing plants these days, I prefer to select those that require little watering, are hardy should we get a cold snap and ones that will flower throughout spring and summer.
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Sometimes it is easy to create a stunning feature using a few plants and landscaping materials.
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Prepare in Advance
Before planting up beds and borders, it is a good idea to condition the soil in advance. Builders have a selection of organic fertilizers and compost that can be added to the soil to add all the nutrients the plants need for healthy growth. Even your local garden centre will have all the products you need to give plants a healthy boost while they get established in their new setting.
Cleaning out and preparing flower beds and borders by adding compost every spring, will ensure plants will flourish.
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Use a garden fork to loosen compact soils in beds and borders, add fertilizer or compost and then work this well into the soil.
Before deciding which plants to buy, check the growing height and space them out according to estimated size. If they receive the correct amount of light and are watered as they should, they will quickly fill up the empty spaces.
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Select Plants by Light Requirements
Not all plants like to grow in full sun and there are plenty of varieties that love full shade or semi-shade. It is important to select the right plants for where they will be planted. Plants that require some shade will not do well in a sunny spot that receives sunlight for most of the day, and the opposite applies to shade plants that prefer darker areas of the garden.
Don't waste your money on the wrong plants for your garden, as not only will you be throwing money away and will have to replace them with new plants when they all die off. Select the plants you need by reading the labels on the pots or containers to make sure you buy the right plants for any location in the garden.
Succulents and grasses have become an integral part of landscaping a garden that is water-wise and requires less maintenance.
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Drought-Resistant Plants Last Longer
Who knows what water restrictions will be put in place when the weather heats up and the reservoirs run dry.? For this reason, it is a good idea to fill up the garden with plants that don't need regular watering. That way, if water restrictions do come into force, you won't have to worry too much about your garden.
Of course, there is always the option to install a rainwater harvesting system that can be filled up when it rains, allowing the accumulated water to be used for keeping the garden lush and green.
Plants do not need to fill the entire flower bed. Leave them to get established and flourish and use other materials to fill in the spaces.
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Decorate Beds and Borders
I have often seen beautiful flower beds filled to overflowing with assorted plants that explode with colour. This looks fantastic but isn't something that is realistically achieved for many of us. Beds and borders don't need to be hard work if you take the time to design them to include plants you can afford and add other elements to make them more decorative - elements that will last for many years and reduce the amount of money that you need to spend on purchasing new plants every season.
Be clever when designing flower beds and borders. Sometimes all you need are a few select plants and landscaping accessories to set up a stunning arrangement.
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Hundreds of plant varieties grow extremely well in pots, and the nice thing about pots is that they require far less maintenance than beds or borders. Invest in a few interesting pots and fill them with colourful plants that will bring pops of colour into the garden.
Adding a layer of pebbles or gravel over beds reduces the need for constant weeding and gives you more time to spend on relaxation.
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