Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but someone has got to be. Sometimes you have to hear something you don’t like so you can fix it, but… your garden is looking a little worse for wear. Not going to use the word “shabby”, but then again, if you choose to use it…
The truth is, who has time to maintain a garden properly? No one. Except maybe retired people; that’s why garden centres are inundated with the silver-haired generation. No one is blaming anyone here. You’re busy. You have a life, and who wants to spend it pulling up weeds?
It’s a fine way to look at things; life’s too short, and all that. Then again, let’s imagine a beautiful summer day. After spending most of it cooped up at work, you rush home, run into the garden and your good mood is immediately ruined. Sometimes, you just want a pretty outdoor space, but you’ve got a space that is the exact opposite. What’s gone wrong?
Reason 1: You Chose A Garden Too High Maintenance For Your Lifestyle
Everyone loves the traditional cottage garden effect. Raised beds filled with begonias and lupins, a willow tree dipping into the cut-glass still water of a wildlife pond. It’s beautiful… and it’s also a massive demand on your time. That pond needs skimming, the flower beds need weeding, the grass needs cutting – and the list goes on. If you genuinely don’t have much time to dedicate to your garden, then choose gravel or decking options to lighten the load. Plant in easily-weeded containers rather than raised beds. Essentially, garden for the life you have, not the one you want.
Reason 2: Your Outdoor Pieces Aren’t Being Maintained
Think about the things you find in the average garden. Maybe there’s a parasol, Rattan Garden Furniture such as seats and benches or a swing or playset if children live there. These items are left outside to the elements or bundled into sheds, and we only really think about them when we need them. That means when we sit down on them, we get a splinter in an unmentionable place, or our kids query why the paint is peeling.
Look at everything you have in the garden with a judgemental eye. If it’s not recoverable, replace it. If you can get it to a good standard with a bit of work, then bring it up to scratch in one dedicated afternoon.
Reason 3: You’re Not Dealing With Weeds
It seems to happen overnight. You got to sleep with a perfect garden, and you wake up with weeds everywhere. They grow so much better than actual plants, don’t they? It’s fine if you have hours to spend weeding on a daily basis during the main growth months, but if you don’t, you need solutions. Things are never going to look pretty until you get a handle on them. Try weed-suppressing landscaping fabric, or indulge yourself with a blow torch designed to kill them on contact. Be merciless; they don’t care about spoiling your garden, so all’s fair!
Love, Charlotte x
*This is a collaborative post