Whether you are a beginner or a learned gardener who loves his patch of green and toils hard to make the landscape look stunning and inviting, a little help, especially from the experts, can go a long way. What’s more, armed with some gardening tips from experts, you can work smarter and yet have great results to show off. So, here is some little hard-won wisdom from those who know all about gardening inside out:
· Plan ahead: Gardening shouldn’t be a rushed job. Rather, you should plan ahead for the kind of trees and plants that you want your landscape to display. According to gardening experts and landscaping professionals, it’s ideal to plan a year ahead for annuals. In case you want to opt for biennials, the planning should start two years in advance, while those looking to plant trees should have a blueprint chalked out quite a few years ahead of the day when actual work starts.
· Know about 4 L’s of gardening: The loam (soil) of the garden is a quarter of the battle. Another quarter is the light in a garden. The ability of the gardener as well as the love and care s/he takes is the third quarter that matters. The fourth and final quarter is luck. Therefore, to become a good gardener, you need to follow these four L’s in the following order of significance: Loam, Light, Love and Luck.
· Know you climate: The continental United States is divided into eight climate zones. You need to know your zone and have a clear idea about the types of plants that are best suited for your region. Gardening experts also advise about determining the climate of your individual garden bed with respect to factors like if it receives plenty of sun, has shady areas, or has dark corners etc. It’s also important for you to check if your garden is protected from wind, as your less hardy plants can get damaged if they are in the direct path of winds.
· Know and improve your soil: You should determine the type of soil on your site as it will help guide your landscape management approach, including soil preparation, watering, planting and feeding. You should feed your soil (with compost, shredded leaves, composted manure, seaweed etc) well as it’s the foundation of every successful garden. Experts emphasize on the need of regular testing of your soil, because it will help you manage your landscape pro-actively and on an ongoing basis, rather than waiting for a problem to crop up and act only when it does.
· Ensure proper water management: For the survival of your trees, shrubs and plants, it’s important to ensure that they get optimum water quality. Again, you should avoid wastage by having a well planned water management system in place. Sticking to simple and time tested rules too can help. For instance, you should always water in the early morning as it reduces loss to evaporation and facilitates foliage to dry off more quickly, thus helping them to steer clear of diseases that occur due to moist and damp conditions.
· Weeds and pests: Use pesticides and more importantly, organic and natural methods, to keep your foliage away from pests and diseases. Many gardening experts’ advice taking a walk through one’s garden to scout for insects and diseases at least once every week. After all, when you catch the earliest signs of trouble and take the necessary steps, you can save yourself a lot of trouble, which would have been there if the pests and weeds were allowed a free run.
Gardening is a tough job that demands you to pay attention and take a close look at your landscape to comprehend nature’s intricate network of soil, plants, insects, wildlife, sun and water. The greater your awareness is about these factors, the better you will know what to do and, more importantly, what not to do. Therefore, use these gardening tips from experts to create your dream patch of green.