Maintaining a Healthy Garden: How to
Gardening is a much-loved British pastime. However, finding time for this maintenance isn’t always the easiest thing to do. To try and help, we’ve put together our top tips this garden maintenance how-to guide.
Gardening and maintenance tips
- Keep plants watered
- Weed regularly
- Dead-head flowers
- Treat infections promptly
- Compost any waste
- Clear away autumn leaves
- Don’t forget to prune
- Clean bird feeders
- Make your garden wildlife-friendly
You should also ensure you choose plants that suit your garden, e.g. the soil and amount of sunlight.
Keep plants watered
During warmer months, ensure you keep your plants watered. We recommend doing this at least once or twice a week (unless mother nature has done the job for you).
Water at the base of the plant! Evening is the optimum time for watering as the soil is cooler.
Get weeding regularly
If you’re looking to maintain a healthy garden without the use of professional gardeners then you’ll need to weed on a weekly basis if you can. The more you stay on top of it, the easier it will be for you in the long run.
Regular weeding helps your plants get the greatest amount of nutrients from the soil.
If you want to prevent further weed growth, consider laying layers of mulch on top of the soil. This will stop the light that allows weeds to grow.
Dead-head flowers
It’s essential to clear away dead flowers. By removing the old blooms, you encourage new ones to grow in their place.
The same principle applies if you’re growing vegetables. The more you pick, the more the plant will produce.
Treat infections promptly
If you notice any fungus or insect infestations on your plants, it’s best to address them straight away.
Failure to treat a problem runs the risk of the plant dying, or the disease spreading to the other areas of your garden.
Use an appropriate pesticide, insecticide or fungicide to ensure the issue is dealt with accordingly.
Compost your waste
If you have the space, investing in a composter is an inexpensive way of recycling your unwanted plant waste. Compost is nutrition for soil, so your plants and flowers will benefit from the investment!
Recyclenow has a great guide on how to start composting.
Have an autumn clear up
Clearing fallen leaves keeps things tidy underfoot, helping you make the most of your outside space.
Also, sweeping away leaves helps to remove or keep away any insects or pests from your garden.
Any unwanted leaves can be added to compost waste and will decompose over the winter months.
Don’t forget to prune
Late winter is reportedly the best time to prune, as plants are in their most dormant phase.
Pruning prevents any problems that may be lurking, such as fungus, from spreading to new growth. Ensure you use appropriate pruning tools for the job. Make lean cuts and try not to cut things back so much that you destroy the plant completely.
Clean bird feeders
To minimise the risk of illnesses in garden birds, feeders need regular cleaning. It’s easily done with warm soapy water (avoid all household chemical sprays). Ensure feeders are completely dry before you refill them.
Garden maintenance not your thing? Find a local gardener to help you out.
Make your garden wildlife-friendly
Ensure that your garden is a healthy environment for occasional wildlife visitors too, such as hedgehogs and rabbits. As well as bird feeders, you could create an insect hotel from log piles and twigs or a pond, both of which would add a nice feature to your garden.
You could even encourage hedgehogs and frogs into your garden by leaving a small gap at the bottom of your fence to give them access. This will help in protecting the country’s declining hedgehog population.
Last Updated: November 1st, 2024
