You wouldn’t be caught dead working in your garden in the dreary cold and dark of winter, and by the time you recognize springtime, it has usually all but passed. Thus, the summer season is the best time of year to put effort into your garden — which means you only have a few short weeks before the weather turns and you miss your chance.
Fortunately, there are many impactful garden updates you can make over the course of an afternoon. Here are a few of the best ways to give your garden a lift this summer:
Pull out Old Plants
Few plants live forever, and many plants will struggle to survive the changing of a single season. If you haven’t made any updates to your garden since the end of winter, it is likely that there are more than a few plants that aren’t pulling their weight in enhancing the look and feel of your outdoor space. It should be obvious that dead plants need to go, but it might be best to remove any shrubs that seem to be lacking vigor, as bringing them back to full health could require more time and energy than you are willing to spend. Once you have cleaned up your beds and pots, you can see how much space you have to add new, vibrant plants to your landscape.
Add Plants in Threes
One of the biggest secrets in landscaping is the rule of threes: Always add three of the same new plant to your flowerbeds. As tempting as it might be to introduce greater variety with three different types of plant, three of the same plant will make your beds look fuller and healthier. This is especially true for plants with plenty of foliage, but the trick might be helpful for any plant you add to your garden this summer.
Clean Your Containers
Your patio pots and other growing containers become covered in dirt and grime with time, dulling their shine. You might spend a few minutes cleaning off the exterior of your containers using warm water with a small amount of detergent — though you should be careful to avoid getting soap into the container soil, as it will harm your plants. While you’re at it, you might also scrape away the top few centimeters of compost from the tops of your pots, which will eliminate dead leaves, moss, weeds and other unsightly elements. You can fill the tops of your pots with new compost or mulch to ensure they look full and happy.
Fill Pavement Cracks
Moisture and cold weather can exacerbate cracks in pavement, and during the spring and summer, those cracks quickly fill with moss and weeds. You should remove anything growing in your pavement cracks and then take the time to patch them. You can find pre-mixed concrete patch at a local home improvement shop, or you can mix your own using three parts sharp sand to one part cement and a little water. You should try to smooth everything using a pointing trowel to blend the patch into the existing pavement.
Give Your Lawn a New Shape
If you are eager to make a bigger change within your garden, you might take a day to cut your lawn into a new shape. Using an edging tool, you can cut away small portions of sod around the border, expanding your bordering flower beds. Curved, organic shapes are very in-style right now, so you might consider rounding out the sharp corners of your lawn for a trendy look. You might also cut away larger portions of your lawn to make space for a new hardscaped area, like a patio for a barbecue. Gas grills are excellent investments in the summer season, when you can spend more time outdoors enjoying your beautiful garden.
Now that summer has arrived, you have no excuse for hosting friends and family in a dingy garden. Over the course of a single weekend, you can give your garden a much-needed facelift, so you can spend the rest of the warm season enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.
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