Some people plan gardens, others have gardens thrust upon them. Either way, if you have a home garden, you might look at it one day and notice it has gotten a little wild. It may not look quite as beautiful as it once did. Here are several ways to enhance the beauty of any home garden, no matter what state it’s in.
Indoor Gardens
Your indoor home garden should be maintained regularly. Use the following techniques to give your garden a quick boost in-between regular maintenance tasks.
Foliage Care
Some plants grow quickly, and some plants drop foliage when the seasons change, even when they’re kept indoors. Sometimes leaves get damaged. Caring for the above-soil part of the plant seems obvious, but it’s a task that’s easy to neglect.
Remove old and dead leaves and stems. Check the entire plant for areas that need trimming. Make sure to remove the debris.
Dirty leaves on broad-leaf plants can be unsightly and unhealthy. In many cases, you can wash them as long as the plant is healthy and uninjured. Use a solution of Castile soap, lemon juice, and water (an internet search will give you dozens of recipes) to gently wash each leaf. Use a soft cloth or cotton swabs. This may not work equally for all plants, so check on a test leaf first.
Pot Switch
Indoor plants can often use new pots. Coordinate pot gardens using colors, shapes, and themes. Use plant stands to create groups with flattering colors and shapes and varying vertical and horizontal arrangements.
Your plants will appreciate some room for expansion, so new pots should always be larger than your current pots. Make sure to use quality, clean soil to fill where necessary.
Soil Care
Where soil is visible, rake it level and remove anything unsightly. Sometimes you want to conceal the soil. A fitted cover works well but may have to be custom-built for each pot. That can be expensive. Easier and more cost-effective enhancements include adding a thin layer of sand, colored aquarium gravel, or crushed gravel on top of the soil.
If you’re at the stage where you’re working with the soil, then it might be a good time to add helpers like automatic watering systems, grow lights, and timers. These items foster healthy and vibrant growth and can lighten your chores.
Outdoor Gardens
Outdoor home gardens come in all varieties. Some look good with almost no maintenance at all, but most outdoor home gardens look better with regular tending.
Foliage Care
If you don’t do this regularly, then a good first step to enhancing your garden’s natural beauty is to trim, weed, and clear the ground of debris. This includes picking up clutter like loose tools, half-used bags of soil or fertilizer, and other gardening supplies. Consider a shed or storage bin to keep them out of the way.
Ground Care
Outdoor gardens tend to draw the eye toward the ground, so the soil under and around your plants is an important cosmetic feature. Live ground cover is a popular alternative to bare soil. Crushed gravel, available in a variety of colors and styles, is a low-maintenance option. Gravel, bark chips, and shredded rubber are common options.
Borders are important. The border or perimeter of your garden might be gradual or spring up suddenly. Whether you keep it sharp or loosely defined, the border marks the spot where at some level, the artificial gives way to the natural. This psychological effect helps make the magic of the garden. Plastic, cement, rocks, herbs, hedges, driftwood, and other components can all be used for borders.
Eye Catching Elements
Let’s not forget gadgets and figurines. These eye-catchers might be placed on the ground, hung on a stalk or stem, or stand-alone. They include:
- Placards with labels for each plant species
- String lights
- Stones
- Fossils
- Large rocks
- Frog pond or reflecting pool.
These enhancements may require some attention from time to time, but many gardeners find the maintenance worth it.
Enhance Your Garden
A home garden is a wonderful place to rest, rejuvenate, and de-clutter the mind. Spending time in a beautiful garden may benefit your mental health and put you in a better mood. Hopefully, one or more of the ideas presented here can help you enhance the current state and beauty of your garden, whatever form it may take.
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