If your anything like me this is the time of year I start looking around the garden, panicked by what all needs to be done. Okay, so about six weeks ago I looked around and got that panicky feeling. As I mentioned earlier though, this has been a busy month and we have seriously had NO weekends to get out in the back garden and have a real proper tidy up. The garden illustrates this point with its overgrown shrubbery and dead branches and leaves everywhere. Okay. Okay. Take a deep breath we can manage this. By "we" I mean the collective "we". You guys reading this, me,(and lets be honest) my husband Mr.Safety. ( I have decided to just call him that from now on. I feel weird always saying my husband and I . I'm not the queen. and "boo" "beau" and "hubby" aren't even an option.)
Lets get back to the garden. I know when you look at it as a big picture it seems overwhelming and you don't even know where to start. I find sitting down with pen and paper and actually writing a list helps me organise my thoughts and put together a game plan. I'm a "list person" big time. Sometimes I fall asleep with a pad of paper at night just writing a list of what to do the next day. Maybe your not though, so let me do that listing for you. I put together 5 steps to follow to get it ready to be the host of any summer BBQ.
MATERIALS:
Trowel- The small shovel to do potting with
Lawn mower- We have an electric kind you plug into mains and it works for us. We only have a small patch of grass to maintain.
clippers- (or Sacatures if your nasty)
compost or potting soil
pencil/paper
Margarita
Gloves- For the larger weeding and cutting back a thick kind is recommended. For potting I like the clear ,thin, plastic ones from the petrol station .I am by no means saying you should grab some the next time your there.
Step 1.
Grab all your pots and put them all somewhere you think is going to be your potting area. Big ones , small ones, medium size ones, and lawn ornaments as well. You need to see what your working with and you'll have to get around them to mow anyway. Count up how many pots you have of what sizes and jot that down on a piece of paper. Get plants to put into the pots. This year I went with whites and purples. So dianthus, lavender, white geraniums, and daisys are some of the flowers that are in my patio display and scattered through the lawn. Set those all to the side and get a cup of tea.
Step 2 .
Mow your lawn. This is pretty self explanatory but don't do a rush job. Make sure its all cut even throughout. You will be happier with the finished result, I swear. Get all the weeding and cutting back out of the way. Go through your borders and throw out all the dead stuff. Cut large hedges like honeysuckle back. (Mine is already finished flowering.)
Step 3.
De clutter all the broken toys, old papers, labels, and crisp wrappers that the wind has blown on the floors of the decking and in the corners. Pick up the pieces of broken pots. Try to mend the ones that you can. I like the look it leaves with all the cracks. The ones that are broke beyond repair can be broken down and used for drainage in the bottoms of the plants you pot.
Step 4.
Now pot up your flowers. This is where the cheap petrol station gloves come in handy.Put your pots back arranged around the garden. I have them in little clusters. Always put them in odd number groups. Asymmetry is key here.
Repaint or wax/varnish any furniture that needs a freshening up. Remember if you choose painting you will probably need to re paint it every year if you don't really weather proof it. We have an old patio set that is rather tired looking at the moment. I think we will give it a coat of wood stain and see how it goes. Ill keep you posted on that.
Yay your done! Doesn't that look 1000x better?! Sit back, put your feet in the paddling pool and have a your first summer Margarita. You have earned it!
Always, -Kass
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