Gardening in the spring and summer comes relatively easy. So long as you can stay on top of the care and maintenance, that’s when it’s at it’s most beautiful, vibrant, and lively. However, when fall and winter start to come around, things start to slow down and the garden can start looking a little bare, even dead. Here, we’re going to look at tips to make sure that your garden looks its very best all year round.
Stay on top of it all
The first thing you must do is that you don’t stop maintaining the garden just because things aren’t growing the way that they used to in the spring. In fact, most trees and bushes don’t stop growing for the year until near the end of autumn. It’s especially important to make sure you’re carefully trimming the branches of the bigger plants. Not only can the leaves and debris from these plants get blown or knocked off and hit power lines, cars, and even people. They will tend to gather in the gutters of the home, potentially leading to blockages and leaks. Follow a gardening calendar to see which tasks you should be taking care of every month of the year.
Landscape to impress
When you’re going to have to start moving plants indoors and you can’t rely on colourful flowers to wow and impress anyone looking over your garden, then you need to start relying on other factors, instead. One of the easiest ways to add some aesthetic punch to your garden without growing anything is to landscape what you have, instead. Garden landscapers can help you organize your garden as is, help you layer things, add height and depth, and basically help you make your garden much more impressive in its presentation. Consider working with a landscaper to find out what your options are with your garden. You can create a high-quality outdoor space that is just as inviting even when you don’t have as much colour in your greenery as you would throughout the rest of the year.
Don’t let the darkness take over
When the months of the year that have the longest nights come rolling around, you need to make sure that your garden is going to look as good in the dark as it does throughout the day. To that end, you need to look at the different outdoor lighting options you have. There are various different kinds of lighting you can apply. Your primary lighting is there for visibility, first and foremost, and is likely to be the largest lighting fixture in the whole garden. Task lighting is all about focused lighting on spaces where you need a little extra ability to see what you’re doing. For instance, if you have an outdoor dining area, then you’re likely to want task lighting over the dining table. Accent lighting is all about adding mood and ambience and can be used to make sure that shadows don’t dominate the spaces that your main lighting doesn’t reach. Another kind of exterior lighting worth making use of is safety lighting in the rails and steps of any raised patios or decking in the garden, as well as long the paths.
Keep your lawn looking lush
One of the big disadvantages of a natural lawn is that, during the autumn and the winter, it can lose its lustre. Furthermore, in the spring and summer, it can add a lot of time to your daily gardening schedule to simply keep it looking neat. The fact that it doesn’t grow is often touted as the primary advantage of getting artificial grass, and that is a benefit in the spring and summer. But it’s also the case that it doesn’t lose any of its lushness in the winter. Furthermore, issues like weeds and moss, which can tend to become even more of a problem in wet weather, aren’t an issue for faux grass at all. If you’re not making use of your lawn, then replacing it may be the easier alternative.
Find your most reliable flowers
If you to maximise the colour and vibrancy of the plants in your garden, then you need to follow a few tactics. We’ll explore how to find colour that you can keep all year round in the next point. However, you also want to think about the efficiency of the flowers and plants that you’re choosing, as well. Different plants have different years where they are actively blooming, and that period can be longer or shorter depending on the plant. Find some of the plants that have the longest bloom periods, such as the Becky Shasta Daisy, the Russian Sage, and the English Lavender. There are no flowers that will remain in bloom all year round. However, by finding those that bloom for the longest, you can maximise the colours in your garden throughout the year.
Have plants for every season
Your longest blooming perennials are going to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to providing colour to the garden for the majority of the year. However, all bloom periods must end. If you’re worried about your garden becoming colourless when this happens, then you should take a closer look at how to get year-round colour. This isn’t done by selecting on particular kind of flowering plant. However, by selecting the right mix, you can make sure there’s always a dash of colour, whether it’s your crocuses and tulips throughout the Spring and Summer, your anemones in Autumn, or your flowering shrubs in the Winter. You can make sure you always have a dash of colour.
Know what plants to bring indoors
It’s a more common mistake than you might think. You have taken care to ensure that your garden looks good throughout autumn and winter, and you’re waiting for everything to start blooming back up in the spring. However, there are some plants that won’t hibernate in the colder seasons of the year but, due to the climate, simply cannot survive it. When you’re buying plants for your garden, then make sure that you’re aware of whether they’re able to withstand the local environment all year round or whether you need to bring them in when the weather starts getting colder. You can keep outdoor plants indoors with no problem so long as you have the right container for them and debug them before they’re brought inside.
Consider a water feature
Improving the aesthetic of the garden isn’t all about what you plant, of course. There are other decor installations and pieces you can use to add some visual depth, as well as some stimulation of the other senses, as well. One great way to do that is by adding a water feature. Perhaps the easiest one to add is a fountain, though those who want to make a garden that’s friendly to their local ecosystem might want to consider adding a pond instead. While expensive, water features add a lot of curb appeal and can even improve the privacy of the garden. The sound of water features acts as a more effective soundproofing measure than you might expect.
Add more splashes of colour
When it comes to choosing the additions that your garden needs the most, then colour should always be a top priority. If you rely on your plants too much for colour, even with the tips above, there are going to be times when the garden looks a lot barer than it normally does. However, flowers aren’t the only way to ensure some colour in the garden. For instance, you can make use of creative containers that, even when the plants are dormant, adds a pop of life to the garden. Of course, you can always take the time to paint any fences, posts, gates, and doors on the home’s exterior. Don’t underestimate the impact that even a little addition of colour can have.
Take care of your surfaces
When it’s raining and your trees are losing their leaves, there’s going to be a lot more exposure to dirt and general garden debris hitting the surfaces of the home’s exterior. Furthermore, moss is more likely to start growing on those surfaces as the days get wetter. One of the best ways to make sure that the home isn’t starting to look old and faded is to make use of pressure washing to blast away the grime and dirt that can stick to those surfaces. This is especially helpful for cleaning patio pavings as well as for removing moss from hard to clean spots, like any uneven surfaces in the garden.
Keeping a garden that looks great all year round is not easy. However, by making use of the right tidying tips and a few new installations, it can be a lot more achievable. It’s still going to be different in the fall and winter but it doesn’t have to look so desolate.
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