A lush, colourful and green garden is the envy of every homeowner, but many haven’t quite mastered the art of maintaining the lustre of their gardens throughout every season. While not everyone is endowed with green fingers and a natural ability to bring out the best in plants, knowing a few simple tips can make a huge difference in the health and appearance of your landscape. Durham’s climate allows for most plants to flourish without severe temperatures affecting them, which allows residents of the area a vast array of options when it comes to selecting a landscaping style that suits their individual preferences.
Here are a few tips to keep your garden in great shape throughout the year, regardless of what type of greenery you feature around your home.
Optimize Watering Practices
Providing a good moisture balance for your lawn and plants is crucial, and selecting an optimal water distribution system is key in this regard. Drip irrigation has shown to be the most effective form of watering for plants, with studies indicating it is 90-95% effective, compared to sprinkler systems, which are generally 70% effective.
If you have the time and enjoy spending your free hours relaxing in your garden, watering with a hose or watering can is just as effective and allows you the opportunity to pay close attention to your plants and their condition. In addition, manually watering your garden tends to help you identify any pests that may have crept into some of your plants, allowing you a chance to deal with the problem before it worsens and further damages your garden.
Make Use Of Compost And Mulch
Compost not only nourishes your plants with a variety of important nutrients it also aids in improving the soil’s water retention capabilities. This, in turn, allows more time for the plants to absorb the nutrients present in the compost, soil and any other additional plant food you may add to your soil to aid in plant health and growth. As with compost, mulch also aids in water retention while helping to keep the soil cool – a very important attribute in the coming summer months.
Worms, microbes and other organisms are also drawn to mulch and aid in keeping a healthy soil ecosystem as the mulch decays and continues to feed both the soil and microorganisms living in it.
If you’d like to enhance your existing garden and need some expert advice and guidance, or if you want to completely overhaul your yard and transform it into a green wonderland landscape in Durham, contact Salix Nurseries. We are specialists in garden makeovers and have years of experience in everything from plants to water features and stone products.
