1. Plan It Out 

Great gardens don’t grow by accident. Work with a landscaper or simply observe your garden over the course of the year. Note patterns of light, wind, and moisture in your garden. Look from different angles. Do you want a lovely view from your kitchen window? Do you want your guests to be wowed when they walk up to your home? Plan for those views. 

2. Think Seasonally

It’s easy to have a beautiful garden at the peak of spring blossoming. However, come late August when your garden is overheated, it can begin to fade. As you plan your garden, plan for all the seasons of the year. Take some time to: 

• Recognize that spring planning includes having a plan for blossoms in early spring, mid-spring, and during late spring. 
• Plan for garden quiet times such as the end of summer by adding plants that specifically bloom during that time. 
• Consider how you can use fall foliage to your advantage in the fall garden.
• Plan for winter by adding bushes with winter berries or evergreen shrubs. 

3. Plan for Heat and Cold

Your garden won’t be glorious for long if your plants die due to the different temperature extremes in your garden. Know your planting zone because if you stray outside it, you might have to put in a lot of effort to save your plants during years that reach temperatures or conditions are extreme. It’s best to plant for those temperature extremes: for instance, sedums love a hot, dry garden.

4. Grow a Simpler Garden 

If you think you need to go all out on a garden and spend hours maintaining it every week, you’re wrong. Plan your garden, then take a few steps back and omit a few plants from your plan. You can make your garden simple to establish and maintain. You might have ambitious plans right now, but you want to be able to maintain your garden even when you get the flu or you get busy at work. Going simpler helps you manage the maintenance so your garden looks gorgeous all year round.

Consider how elements like a sagging or clogged gutter can impact your flower beds and delicate plants near the home. If water in your gutters overflows it may damage plants below and could lead to more expensive problems. Be sure your gutters are in good repair and install gutter guards to prevent clogs.  Download our free gutter guide to learn more.

5. Use Perennials As Your Backbone

Perennial plants, not annuals are the best backbone for your garden. Choose a few stunning perennials as the feature of your garden beds and work your annuals in around them. This approach will minimize the time you spend adding and establishing new plants; not only will you save money, you’ll also have more time to do minor maintenance and enjoy your garden. 

6. Add Garden Structures

In addition to your stalwart perennials, garden structures such as awnings and arbors can form a core focus of your garden. Best of all, these features are relatively low maintenance and you don’t need to plant, water, or prune them. For instance, you could add a textured rock wall in your garden and plant groundcovers that dangle over the edges, and this could be a relatively low-maintenance feature of your garden.

7. Use Annuals For Seasonal Color

Annuals are there and then they’re gone. Use them as vibrant seasonal additions to your garden beds. For instance, you could use different annuals as a border for your front walkway in the spring, summer, and fall. 

8. Control Weeds With Mulch 

Why are you spending so much time pulling weeds? It’s so that they don’t take over your garden, of course. However, according to The Micro Gardener, there is a solution: “Adding an attractive and practical mulch will deter weeds from setting seed.” 

9. Choose A Theme

According to Amara, “Deciding on a specific style or theme when designing your garden can help tie your efforts together and ensure your garden looks the best it can be.” Whether you love the English country look or you’d prefer the Zen feeling of a Japanese garden, choosing a theme can simplify the approach you use when designing your garden and help ensure unity from one area of the garden to another. 

10. Concentrate on Garden Focal Points

If you don’t have a lot of time to spend on your garden, focus on typical problem areas. For instance, your front walkway and doorway might look a little worse for wear. Add an awning, paint the doorway, and add seasonal annuals by the front door and along the walkway, and you’ll make this problem area a lot more attractive.
At Harry Helmet, we have home and garden solutions. Talk with us about awnings that can help provide shade and add beauty to your home at the same time. Schedule a free estimate today.

Written by Del Thebaud