By Kathy Sullivan, Communications Director
If you do nothing else all gardening season, try to maintain a regular habit of these five garden chores to make for a more joyful experience in the garden.
Keep your tools organized. Not being able to find a tool is frustrating and distracting. Keep all tools in one designated place - not including throwing gloves and tools in a bucket in the corner of the garage. Instead of wasting time hunting, resolve to get your tools organized and keep them that way. When your tools are always at the ready, you'll be better able to take care of your yard.
If you do nothing else all gardening season, try to maintain a regular habit of these five garden chores to make for a more joyful experience in the garden.
Keep your tools organized. Not being able to find a tool is frustrating and distracting. Keep all tools in one designated place - not including throwing gloves and tools in a bucket in the corner of the garage. Instead of wasting time hunting, resolve to get your tools organized and keep them that way. When your tools are always at the ready, you'll be better able to take care of your yard.
Here's a quick for finding a tool left in the garden: spray-paint the tops/handles of all garden tools in a bright color (or colors), and they'll be easy to spot in your garden beds and landscape.
Prepare for Pests - Be on the lookout regularly for weeds that pop up and when the ground thaws get rid of them immediately. Certain species of plants are more prone to pests, so research any new plant you want to add to your garden to make sure it won't create headaches. Lots of plants now have disease- and pest-resistant varieties to choose from.
Improve your water usage- in our dry landscape it is especially important to do what we can to save water usage. Plants don't need a lot of water especially if they're on a drip system and their 'feet' or roots are kept pretty regularly moist. Rock mulch works wonders to keep soil from drying out, and it helps to cut down on weeds too. Bark mulch is ok... but is flammable and not recommended in our area due to wildfire concerns.
Take on a new gardening project - Gardening is fun and part of that is trying something new things, whether it's a weekend project like making your own patio fountain or freshening up your garden beds with dramatic edging. Or maybe you'd like to try building a trellis or pergola - even a simple fire pit?
Take time to enjoy your garden and landscape - Make it a priority to literally stop and enjoy your beautiful garden once in a while. Your garden should be a pleasant and relaxing place to be, so include comfortable seating or a place to perch where you can take it all in.
Improve your water usage- in our dry landscape it is especially important to do what we can to save water usage. Plants don't need a lot of water especially if they're on a drip system and their 'feet' or roots are kept pretty regularly moist. Rock mulch works wonders to keep soil from drying out, and it helps to cut down on weeds too. Bark mulch is ok... but is flammable and not recommended in our area due to wildfire concerns.
Take on a new gardening project - Gardening is fun and part of that is trying something new things, whether it's a weekend project like making your own patio fountain or freshening up your garden beds with dramatic edging. Or maybe you'd like to try building a trellis or pergola - even a simple fire pit?
Take time to enjoy your garden and landscape - Make it a priority to literally stop and enjoy your beautiful garden once in a while. Your garden should be a pleasant and relaxing place to be, so include comfortable seating or a place to perch where you can take it all in.