Cultivate your garden.
I think we can all agree, Voltaire was onto something. Life is a garden and it will give you back, what you put into it.
Or maybe Joe Dirt is more your style.
Life’s a garden. Dig it.
Between fun family times with lots of babies, we have been spending a lot of time working on the yard. Well, that and filling up the splash pool multiple times.
Not only is gardening a relaxing pursuit, but it is the best way to really improve the curb appeal of your home. Which would you rather pull up to after a long day at work? A drab, barren yard, or a colorful wonderland of flowers and foliage? I am a homebody, and I love making my home a beautiful sanctuary. An oasis among the urban chaos.
Many people are deterred from creating a beautiful garden because it can be a lot of work. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be. Yes, there is a bit of work when you first design and create your garden, but with the right planning, your garden can basically take care of itself.
Work smarter not harder.
10 Easy Ways to Keep Your Garden Gorgeous
*While you sit back with a mimosa and enjoy life*
*sponsored by Monrovia
1. Try using soaker hoses. Soaker hoses are hoses with perorations along the entire length of the hose. Some hoses have small holes and some are made from materials that allow water to soak through. If you arrange soaker hoses in your garden areas, you can leave them in place all summer and just run water through them in lieu of a sprinkling system. this allows the water to only reach the places you want, giving you more control and reducing water waste. It is also just easier. With soaker hoses set up in the right places you can emulate an expensive built in sprinkler system for a fraction of the cost. we find these especially useful for raised garden beds.
2. Use zone appropriate plants. As much as you may love the idea of an avocado tree, if you live in the Upper Peninsula, it just isn’t going to happen. Citrus trees may work in the South, but stick to hardy apple and cherry varieties in the North. also, consider precipitation. Depending on water costs in your area, it may not be worth trying to grow tomatoes in an arid region. Cloud cover and fog should also be considered.
3. Save money by planting perennials so you don’t have to replant each spring. Flowers like hydrangeas, roses, irises, etc., will come up each year and look great with proper care. Plant them once, and you can enjoy them for decades. Edibles like rhubarb, chives, fruit trees, strawberries, and more, will also come up each Spring. If you don’t want to buy or grow a bunch of seedlings every year, perennials are the way to go. Plus, you can choose long blooming plants in order to enjoy flowers all Summer long. Adding a few hostas and hydrangeas by Monrovia can brighten up your whole yard without much hassle.
4. Plant pest fighting plant combinations. Keep annoying, garden wrecking bugs away without pesticides. Chives will repel Japanese beetles and carrot rust flies. Basil keeps away flies and mosquitoes. Garlic chases away plenty of beetles, flies, plus snails and the dreaded aphids! Aphids are also attracted to sunflowers, as are ants.
5. Use the right mulch for your garden. are you using mulch to keep in moisture, or keep out weeds? Both? Also, the type of mulch might change depending on if you are planting seeds or seedlings. We are using cocoa bean mulch in many areas this year. It makes the yard smell like chocolate!
6. Keep trellises and implements simple. Of course, you can purchase expensive arboring and trellises, but you can also go with branches and homemade structures. Our bamboo and twine grid for cucumbers and climbing beans was cheap and easy!
7. Compost. What do you usually do with all those vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, and even dryer lint? Instead of buying tons of fertilizers and mineral mixes, try composting kitchen and yard waste. A tumbler is great in an urban yard.
8. Get what you can for free! Your local yard waste site will usually offer dirt and mulch for free. Check with neighbors and Craigslist for things like soil and manure as well. Plenty of people are looking to offload some chicken poop!
9. Plant multipurpose vegetation. This goes hand in hand with the pest fighting plants. Chives, for example, not only look like a modern decorative plant, but they have nice looking flowers and are edible. A perennial that looks good, tastes good, and repels bugs? What more could you ask? Sunflowers are also a great one for this category. They will attract the birds and aphids away from your garden. Or, if those are not of concern, you can plant them near the garden to attract bees.
10. Make it pretty and tailor it to your style. If you love bright colors, go with lots of flowers and fruit bearing plants. Peppers in bright colors can be very lovely and also tasty when it is harvest time. I decided to plant a row of hydrangeas along the front of our house since I like the size of the plants and look of the flowers. I want white, blue, and green mop-head hydrangeas for floral arrangements around my home! Also, use your visual space. Add planters dangling from eaves and arbors to add height and create cozy spaces. You can purchase gardening accessories like tomato cages and even chicken wire in many different colors now too. It is your garden, so make it something you love. The more you love it, the more it will bring into your life.
By keeping these things in mind, you can create a fantastic garden in your yard that will remain relatively low maintenance for many years.
For quality plants to beautify your yard, shop Monrovia or check for a local location. They are carried at Lowe’s and at most of those flower tents outside grocery stores.
*Post conceptualized by JAC and sponsored by Monrovia.
