I love being in the garden. My garden is so terrific friends and neighbors started asking me for tips on how to make their gardens nicer. It got so I was spending more time telling people about my garden than being in it. That’s when I decided to put my six best tips for the home garden in writing for all to see.
1. Make it what you want.
My neighbor across the road has the most perfect lawn I have ever seen. He is out there after work and on the weekends pulling weeds, mowing, watering, and feeding. I don’t like doing those things, so I don’t have any lawn. A garden can be anything you want it to be, so make yours right for you.
2. Add comfortable outdoor furniture.
I have a rattan sun bed with a tree to shade me when I take a nap or read in my garden. I visit with company on my rattan loveseat. The loveseat has colorful weatherproof cushions that match the cushions on the chairs for my outdoor dining table.
image source: Bridgman Furniture
3. Create an all-season garden.
You probably won’t spend as much time in the garden in winter as you do the rest of the year, but you can still enjoy it all year round. Here’s what you can do to make the most of your garden lovely in the cold months when nothing is growing:
- Add garden sculptures and statuary;
- Use plants with winter interest. Shrubs and trees with dramatic branching patterns, ornamental grasses, and plants with fruit that lasts make the garden interesting to look at in winter, whether you are standing in it or looking at it through the window.
- Feed the birds. Bird feeders attract life to the garden at a time when plants are dormant.
4. Cook in the garden.
Food always tastes better when it’s cooked outside. There are lots of ways to cook outdoors; you can roast hot dogs over a fire pit, make a charcoal fire, or grill fish and vegetables on a gas grill.
5. Grow your own food.
You don’t need lots of space to grow fruits and vegetables. Grow herbs in pots, or tuck a few in with your annuals. Try growing some of the new dwarf vegetables if you are short on space. Figs, strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches – find out what fruit grows best where you live and add it to your landscape.
6. Add moving water.
The sound of water is the most soothing sound in the world. Even if your garden is in a busy part of town you can make it peaceful with a fountain or waterfall. I have seen water features as elaborate as freestanding water walls and as simple as a galvanized tub with rocks and a solar pump. I have a rain chain: rainwater makes a tinkling sound as it falls from the roof down a series of chains and cups.
Now you know what I do to make the most of my garden. Have fun making your home garden a place of beauty and peace.
