Gardening Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Oh My Heartsie Girl

March 6, 2021May 24, 2022

5 Tips to Turn Your Backyard Into a Posh Retreat

You deserve a backyard that’s beautiful, relaxing, secure and chic. Taking on a project like a yard remodel may seem daunting, but there are steps you can take to get toward that dream lawn. Here are a few ideas on how to get started.
Planters-and-containers-for-your-backyard. Adding Containers To Your Garden

There is always room to add containers of flowers and plants when there isn’t room throughout the yard. Containers come in such beautiful colors and textures, you could even paint a Terracotta planters to add more color and interest. And you can always change up the plants as season change.

Adding planters can add beautiful color to a backyard

Photo by Garden Stories – Look for landscaping design inspiration

Design a Pathway With Features

Walkways are a beautiful way to set the tone of your landscaping. Besides looking great, they can drive attention to the focal point of your yard, mark a clear path through a garden or just welcome guests to explore. Before you get started, decide on the main purpose of your walkway and the material you think would best suit the vibe of your yard. With a quick online search, you may even be able to get started on your own. Remember to add a feature or two along the path, such as a bench, to make it even more special.

Add Entertainment To Your Backyard

If you are truly making your backyard an extension of your home, it’s only natural that it will have areas in which to entertain. Outfitting your yard with speakers is a great way to bring ambiance to your yard. Distributing them around the area allows you to bring your favorite tunes to the outdoors, upping your enjoyment of the area even more. Plus, they can come in handy if you want to push your entertaining even further with an outdoor movie screen and projector.

Create an outdoor projection screen for family movies Source: Pinterest

Make It Comfortable For You

You can’t relax in your beautiful backyard if you don’t have a comfortable place to sit. Ensure that you have seats for guests, like an outdoor sofa set or dining area, but don’t forget to have a special area just for you. Like to read? Create your personal reading nook with a cozy hammock chair. Need to protect yourself from the sun? Make sure you have plenty of furniture in the shady areas of your lawn or add outdoor umbrellas. Think about your needs and those of your guests, and then plan out the furniture purchases. It’s worth the investment to have an area you can really appreciate.

Add-a-hammock-for-comfort-in-your-backyard Source: Pinterest

Create Your Backyard knowing it will Stay Secure

Nothing will make you more comfortable in your backyard than having peace of mind that you and your family are secure. A security camera system can bring that to you. Lorex Technology offers solutions for homes and businesses that are as dependable as they are sleek. They won’t take away from the overall look and feel of your backyard oasis, while adding the benefit of added safety. With cameras that are motion activated and have night vision, you can rest assured that all the new features in your backyard oasis are guarded. Add a couple of motion-activated lights to feel even better.

Meditative-Healing-Garden — Create a meditative healing garden for relaxing in your backyard

Photo by Ketti Kupper Conscious Life Design – More landscaping photos

The next time you step outside, envision how your perfect backyard would look and feel. You don’t have to do everything at once, so take your time to prioritize what matters most. With planning and hard work, you’ll have a stylish, comfortable and safe yard for you and your family.

February 26, 2021February 24, 2021

Low Maintenance Yet Beautiful Gardens

There is a common perception that it is not possible or at least it is very hard to have a garden that is beautiful all year round and yet is low maintenance. For those who enjoy spending time outdoors or simply enjoy looking out of the window to a nice landscape, it is important to have a nice garden. Low-maintenance-Garden

Low maintenance gardens are also great if you have a house that you rent out or a holiday home where you don’t spend time there all year round. The whole purpose of having a holiday home is so that you can go there to relax, not to tackle 8 months of garden growth! Another downside of gardening is that it can actually cause you health problems, with people suffering from knee joint issues after spending years kneeling or squatting in the garden.

So, if you don’t have the time, ability or inclination to maintain your garden then you may benefit from some of these tips:

Choose your plants carefully (if you really must have them)

Some plants take much more care than others. Of course, the best way to take away the pain of plant care is to not have any plants at all but not many people go for this option. Plants that are easier to maintain include Heather, Azaleas, Crocus and Jasmine. Repeat flowers are also a good idea so you won’t have to plant new flowers each year. Bright-Beautiful-Flowers-For-Spring-Gardens

Another way to ease garden maintenance is by choosing native plants that naturally prosper in your area. If you’re unfamiliar with plant types, there’s a plethora of information on the web to leverage. For example, Lawn Starter’s St. Louis page features a list of native plants and flowers for novice gardeners in the area to use as a reference for choosing local native flora in their garden.

Bright-Beautiful-Garden-Flowers

Don’t have grass

How-to-use-Artificial-Turf-in-Your-Garden — Source: Artificial Lawn UK

Grass looks good but it needs mowing frequently or else it quickly turns into an overgrown jungle. Also, lawnmowers are pretty bulky so you need lots of space to store it in. So looking at alternatives to grass – you could have a nice set of decking, or use gravel or paving. Another alternative is to have artificial grass. More and more people are turning to this solution, as it is so much easier than having real grass. Installation is fairly straightforward too, especially if it is just going in a square or rectangular area. You can get artificial grass that looks really realistic and it is perfect if you have kids who keep wearing bald patches in the grass! For more information, check out this website.

If you do insist on having grass then try and keep it square in shape to make it easier to cut. Also, consider leaving the grass clippings on the lawn rather than going back and forth to dispose of it. You can also get edging shears that have a collection box to make it easier for you.

Avoid fast-growing hedges

If you are ever thinking about growing a hedge, make sure that you avoid a fast-growing one as trimming hedges can take a long time and they very soon look out of control again. Fences are sometimes a better option and you can get some very attractive fencing to compliment your garden without the level of work required with trimming your hedges down.

Petals-Decorative-Composit-Privacy-Screen — Source: Wayfair

Get UPVC fence panels

Wooden fences often need to be treated to keep them intact. Heavy winds are also a pain as you can find yourself needing to replace fence panels after a windy day. You can get around this by having UPVC fence panels fitted and you will never have to replace panels again. You can even get brown ones that look like they are wooden if you are worried about the appearance. It costs a lot less in the long run as well to have UPVC fence panels.

So for whatever reason you can’t or don’t want to spend your time gardening, there are some very good solutions out therefore you to try.

April 29, 2020May 24, 2021

What Makes a Good Garden?

It’s that time of the year to start planning out how big you want your garden to be and what you are going to plant this year. Most home gardens can produce enough vegetables to help feed your friends and family well into the summer and late fall. Just a few tips on what makes a good garden?

The Soil and Choosing The Location For Your Garden

The right soil and enough space to grow is important. One of the first things to decide is the location of your garden. You will want to ensure there is enough room, and the area gets plenty of sun during the day. Check Out Container Gardening

Once you have this determined, the next step is to ensure your soil has the right nutrients to support a proper yield during the growing season. In many cases, you may need to add nutrients to the soil like compost or other organic materials.

The Shed

You are going to want a garden shed to be able to store all of your gardening tools. Sheds a great because the free up valuable room in your garage, and you can keep your specific gardening supplies and tools stored away safely.

Today’s gardening sheds come in various materials, colors, and heights. The most popular sheds are made out of wood, vinyl, and metal. All three are excellent materials, but wood can cause problems if not treated properly. Support your tools and keep things more organized.

Some people will buy a shed and throw all their tools in there. The inside of your shed should be organized, and to maximize the space shelves can be used. At the end of the shelving, you can hang hooks to

Basic Tools For Gardening

To be an efficient gardener, you need the right tools to get the job done. The basics like hoes, rakes, and shovels are essential. But there are plenty of other tools that can turn you into a serious home gardener. A pruning saw can be a great addition and help get your plants and shrubs trimmed, and every garden needs a spade. You will want to ensure that you have a hose long enough to be able to reach every area of your plants and crops.

Bug and Insect Free Good and Bad

One of the major problems with having a garden or a small farm is fending off insects and bugs.

Insects will eat just about anything from the leaves on your plants to the vegetables themselves. Whether you choose organic or nonorganic pesticides, they must be used properly and stored away correctly.

It is a good idea to check your garden daily to ensure it is bug-free. A colony of insects can ruin a garden within days.

Nothing can be more frustrating than when you have spent a ton of time on a garden only to have insects ruin it within days.

Conclusion

We are less than a month away from the summer season. In the hot summer months, food can grow faster and healthier. Don’t wait until early summer of later summer to get your garden going. Be proactive and start early by planning and potting soon.

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April 1, 2020May 12, 2021

Why You Should Garden with Perennial Flowers

Are you looking to add a curb appeal to your landscape? This is possible if you garden with perennials as they do not need a lot of extra care and maintenance. If you have ever tried annuals and you need to shift to something that lasts longer, perennial flower plants are the go-to for you. Whether it is just perennials or a mix of perennials and annuals, all these are possible. Also, the perennials are a favorite type of garden plant for most gardeners due to the many benefits they have in the garden space. Below are some of the reasons why you should garden with perennial flowers.

Create an ever-changing tapestry of color

Although the perennials have short bloom seasons, the beauty of them is that their blooms are more defined. Hence, there are many types of perennials that you can plant. Thus to create an ever-changing tapestry of color, choose different varieties of perennials. For instance, irises make for long-lasting color and will contribute to the visual effect needed. Also, you can blend your perennials to achieve various colors in different seasons, such as you can have some herbaceous perennials to add to the normal ones. This will make designing your garden area fun, and at the same time, it helps you personalize your space. Therefore, if you plan correctly you can have various perennials for their various benefits.

Spring-Garden-using-Iris — Image Credit Pinterest: Spring Garden using Iris

Every garden can have a perennial

Every gardener can find perfect perennials for their garden. As long as they narrow down the list with what will do well in their yard and what will not do as well. There is a great range of perennials that you can choose from according to the conditions in your yard. For instance, there are drought-tolerant perennials, shade loving types, among others. Thus, according to how you plan your garden landscape, you can choose the ones that favor you the most. Choose the perfect perennial for your yard, and with the necessary care and maintenance, it will not disappoint.

Drought-tolerant-plants — Image Credit: Pinterest

They are a great investment

Perennial flowers come back every year and they grow bigger and better. Therefore, they are a great investment as you do not have to go back and start planting again. As you pay for them once, for many years, and in other cases, you get decades of beauty from them. Also, as the perennial flowers grow the advantage comes from dividing them as it gives you more plants to use in your garden freely, trade, or share with friends and neighbors. For this reason, you can easily find low-cost perennials at mass merchandisers, a local neighborhood plant sale, or local garden centers.

They are useful plants

Not only do perennial flowers have beautiful blooms, but they have food and medicinal uses as well. For instance, you can plant chives for their tasty flavor or purple blooms. Optionally, others that are similar to chives are mints, lemon balm, oregano, among others. Therefore, with perennials, you can try to plant various types that have a purpose and you get the double benefit of these flowers. Gardeners also love bee balms as they are used for teas and immune boosters like purple coneflowers. Add these flowers in your vegetable or flower garden. Then, you will be surrounded with flower plants that have a dual purpose to use as the need arises for the health support for your whole family. Consult with your local florist of the perennial flowers that have dual benefits to get more of them in your garden, and you can read further through articles that discuss perennial vegetables.

Edible-perennials-you-can-eat-forever — Image Credit: Pinterest

They tolerate the weather

Perennial flowers are not affected by different seasons as they withstand the weather changes and come back season after season. This shows that they have a lot of practice on how to get the perfect timing with the change of weather at hand. For instance, if you are located in a very cold climate, there is no need to worry whether perennials will come up too early and get affected by the cold temperatures. Unlike other plants that need to grow and mature before the onset of the cold season. Where necessary plant drought-resistant perennial flower plants so that they can always complete their season even with a limited water source.

They are pollinator-friendly flowers

Flowers are necessary to ensure that bees and other pollinators help balance the ecosystem. Many issues like colony collapse arise due to the lack of flowers to aid in pollination. Therefore, perennial flowers are beneficial as they bloom various times in their season and help provide extra food for the hives. For this reason, having a flower garden that has many perennials will encourage many pollinators to visit. Observing when they bloom will help you know how to plant various perennials from early bloomers like crocuses to the late bloomers. To have a progression of blooms to help with food sources for pollinators. Through this, you will not only attract bees but other pollinators like butterflies and other useful insects as well.

Create-a-hummingbird-and-butterfly-habitat-garden — Image Credit: Pinterest

You can sell them

If perennials have enough light and moisture, they will not only come back year after year but they also spread. Also, thin them out every few years and you can plant the extra plants for more color. Alternatively, if you feel you have enough of the specific varieties you can offer to sell them and make some extra money.

In conclusion, the above reasons show why it is necessary to garden with perennial flowers. Although it is fun choosing the perennials to plant for various reasons. It may be a challenge on how to organize them on your landscape to cater for various purposes. Get familiar with the factors necessary and consult a professional gardener to guide you on the right perennial flowers. Also, the perennial flower plants will improve your soil structure as the root systems remain in the soil for many years. Although perennials do not last forever, you can try planting them in your garden for the many benefits they offer.
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