Modern Garden Maintenance Tips

The best modern gardens

These are my top 10 practical tips for garden maintenance in a modern garden today.

1 When cutting grass use a mulcher. This is the best way to cut grass in my opinion, as it disperses the cuttings by shredding them finely and blowing them back onto the lawn thereby keeping the goodness in the soil. When you decide to mulch you must cut the grass at least once per week (better if you can do it twice) as fine short grass disappears more easily.

The huge benefit, of course, is a health one becauset there is no need to empty the grass box every few minutes. Your back, spinal cord and discs will be all the better for it too.

2 Use netting on your fruit bushes, otherwise the birds will get to the fruit before you do and all your hard work would have been for nothing. There is no need to net some fruit bushes like gooseberries because they are too sour for bird. The bush itself is thorny which deter the birds too.

3 Think long term when you plant a tree. It might start off beautiful and small but depending on the variety it could grow into a monster (especially if its one of the fast growing trees). Check to growth rate and eventual height predictions when you purchase and avoid having to cut a tree down (particularly a healthy tree).

The Gathering

4 Remove plums from your plum tree when they are only the size of a pea. Too much fruit on the branches will cause the branch to break (due to the additional weight of the fruit) and you could lose the whole tree as a result.

5 Gather rainwater from the downpipes. You will need a large container (300 gallons) to store the water as it flows from your rooftop. Apart from being environmentally friendly, this water is ideal for watering your plants and is much better for them.

6 Clean the garden tools you use after you have finished for the day. This prevents them from rusting but also has the benefit of having tools ready in good condition for the next day. If you can store them in a garden shed or garage, when they are not in use, you will prolong the life of each tool.

7 Keep wooden planters and fences in good condition by use a wood preserver to paint them. Ordinary paint will also do as the main purpose is to keep the raw wood protected fron the weather. Wooden sheds, benches and other wooden garden furniture should also be treated.

8 Mulch around the base of the trees to prevent weeds from growing. The mulch will also hold moisture for the tree roots. Because there will not be a need to cut grass close to the bark of the tree you minimize the risk of the mowing machine ‘nicking’ or damaging the tree.

9 Raised beds do not involve any digging and are ever so easy to manage. You may even be able to sit down as you weed the bed. The raised bed defines the growing space, prevents weed intrusions and allows the grass cutting area to be clearly defined.

10 Planning your garden maintenance at the outset is so important and a good deal of time should be spent on this task as it will pay dividends for a long time afterwards. Try to visualise how the garden will appear in 5 or 10 years time. Remember that you will be older and may not be as nimble as before and some tasks might be beyond your capability.