Tag: gardening

Keeping a well-maintained garden isn’t as hard as you may think! We’re here to help with some easy but effective garden maintenance services tips.

Whether you’re a well-seasoned pro or a newbie to the world of soil, plants, and pruning,  we’ve got a tip or two to help you.

Get your gardening shears ready, and read on for our top gardening tips:

1. Know your dirt
Identifying your soil type is important if you want anything to grow – even grass. Generally, the standard types are sand, salt or clay. If you’re unsure, ask a neighbour or local nursery.

2. Keep mulching
This isn’t something that should just be done in spring, but year round to make your gardening easier. Mulching keeps the soil temperature stable and nasty weeds at bay. There are plenty of varieties available so it’s down to personal choice.

3. Pruning
Just like delaying getting your car serviced, putting off pruning is not a wise idea. Plants are easier to prune when they’re young and before their branches become too thick. All plants are different though, so double check the required pruning practices at the nursery when buying.

4. Plants
Pick pants that are adaptable to the climate, soil and can survive on how much (or little) sun your garden gets. If you choose the right plants for your garden that are easily manageable, you won’t have to spend a whole lot of time tending to them.

 5. Watering
If you’re starting from scratch with seeds, watering frequently is very important. Your plants should never be left for long without adequate hydration. As they grow, a few decent watering sessions over the week should be sufficient. The best time of day to water is early in the mornings, before the peak of sunshine in the afternoon.

6. Fertilising
It’s crucial to read the label and not put too much fertiliser down at once. It’s also vital to remember that fertiliser and water go hand in hand, so don’t fertilise dry soil. Once you put some fertiliser down, make sure you water a little more regularly.

7. Dirty nails no more!
Scrubbing your fingernails after a long day of gardening can be frustrating, especially if you can’t get all the dirt off after. So before you start your gardening session, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap to ‘seal’ them underneath. You’ll still need to use a nailbrush, but it should be ten times easier to remove the soil.

Want to find someone skilled in garden maintenance services? Find some help by posting your job on Airtasker and receive instant offers.

Summer is almost here! Your lawn may be growing quickly already, and staying on top of garden maintenance in London can be time-consuming. Read on for some tips to help make summer gardening a breeze:

Water your garden efficiently

Heat and evaporation rates are at their peak during the middle of the day, which can cause your plants to stress and wilt. It’s best to water your plants and lawn either first thing in the morning, or later in the afternoon. This way, the water will have a better chance to soak into the ground, instead of evaporating straight away. Giving your thirsty garden a decent drink at cooler times of the day is also a more efficient use of water.

Bee-friendly summer gardening

A lot of fruit and vegetables in your garden probably require bee pollination. This summer, attract bees to your garden to pollinate your fruit and vegetables by refraining from using harmful pesticides. Consider planting bee-friendly flowering plants to help bulk their food supply up. Not only will your crops grow, but you’ll also help save the bees!

Set up an irrigation system

Setting up an irrigation system is a great afternoon project, and can be very cost-effective if you do it yourself.  You can tailor your design and materials to best suit your garden’s needs. Options include sprayers, sprinklers, drippers and more. You would start by measuring out your garden and map out your irrigation system design. You’d then choose your materials, measure out your water flow and start assembling.

To make your irrigation system easy and water-efficient, add an automated timer attachment to your tap so you don’t miss (or forget) the optimal watering time slot.

Cut your lawn a little longer

Grass grows at a much faster rate in the summer, and you may be tempted to mow it as short as possible to avoid having to do so regularly. However, your lawn will actually be in much better condition if cut a bit longer. Having your lawn a little longer will actually suppress weeds and bind growth.

We hope you enjoy these summer gardening tips! Let us know if you have any more to share in the comments section below.

If you’d rather not spend your weekend gardening, find local gardening services with Airtasker.

If you’re embarking on your first gardening project and not sure where to start, our beginner gardening tips may help.  Knowing where to start, planning and understanding your garden design will be the key to your success. Before you get down to the local garden centre, there are a few things to consider.

What type of gardening do you want to enjoy?

How do you want to use your garden? Are you doing some landscaping to finish off a newly constructed home, or giving your existing garden a face lift? Will this space be used as an entertaining area, children’s play area, g vegetable patch or chicken coop? Do you want to build a feature garden? Understanding the purpose of your garden will help you plan the design.

Source: Pinterest

Landscaping and layout

Think about the space you have and how you might make the most out of it by carefully planning the layout. Garden goers with large, country backyards are blessed with their options. But if you’re in a terrace house in London and don’t have more than a 4-meter squared courtyard, you’ll need to be a little bit smarter with your space. Draw up your design and experiment. Marshalls have a really handy garden design tool where you can create 3D garden designs for free.

Design ideas

A little bit of design inspiration never hurts. Again, think about the space and how you want to use it. Seek out plants, grass, garden accessories and possibly even outdoor furniture to complete your design. Are you into water features? Would a flower arch complete your garden’s English tea party look? Would a grapevine work nicely with a Tuscan theme? Garden centers often have mini display gardens that you can walk through, and there is plenty of design inspiration to be found online.

Image credit: Harold Lloyd
Get your own homegrown honey by having a quaint little backyard beehive.

Drainage and ground preparation

When planning your garden, don’t forget to consider things like drainage and ground preparation. You don’t want half of your back garden flooded and transformed into a mud puddle every time it rains. You may need to level the ground, dig it out, and even prepare the soil if it’s lacking nutrients. If you have a bit of laboring work ahead of you, think about when the right time to do it will be. There’s no point in scheduling a landscaping job when rain is forecast, as mud and rain won’t allow for much productivity.

Read up on what you’re planting

Research is key for newbies to gardening. Know whether the plants, grass, flowers, vegetables, etc. you are interested in will thrive in your climate, how to care for them, and what their maintenance requirements are. For example, how much water does Sir Walter grass need? Will it do well in a hot climate? How much sun does it need? What are the best conditions for laying turf and how long will it take to settle?

Spacing plants appropriately

When designing a dream garden, many enthusiastic beginners neglect to think about the spacing of plants. If you’re constructing a tropical paradise of different varieties of palm trees to surround your pool, prepare for their eventual growth. They’ll drop fronds, seeds and maybe even coconuts; they can grow over roofs, pools and block gutters. Do some research on the species you want to use and space plants appropriately to account for growth.

Maintenance

Once you’ve established your garden,  you’ll need to have a good maintenance routine in place to keep it looking good. Think about this in the planning stage. Consider:

• Lawn care – aerating, watering and mowing
• Weeding
• Hedging
• Pruning
• Fertilising
• Cleaning (e.g. bird baths)
• Pest control
• Irrigation, sprinklers
• Gardening tools and equipment, e.g. hoses, shovels, etc.

Source: hey there, home

Budget check

Now that you’ve got your design planned out, measure out your requirements and cost it out before you get started. Don’t forget to consider ongoing maintenance costs as well; think in terms of money, time and effort.

Get ready to get started!

By preparing a well-planned garden design, you’ll be on the right path to green thumb success. If you’ve identified certain tasks that you’d like to do yourself, think about your skills and experience and consider watching some online videos. Otherwise, there are plenty of people offering helpful gardening services in London.

Not sure where to start? Get some advice from a more experienced gardener to help.

Let’s face it, gardening isn’t always something we look forward to doing. Maintaining your garden can often feel like a chore. It can cause cuts and scratches,  make your fingernails dirty, and result in your whole body aching the next day.

If you’re keen to simplify your gardening routine, here are some great home gardening hacks that won’t break your back:

Vertical garden

Sure, you could build a custom vertical planter out of pallets as a fun DIY project. But why not just get a shoe organiser and make it easy on yourself?

Beer

Keep bugs and slugs at bay by creating a solution of flat beer mixed with salt and spraying it around your garden.

Source: Buzzfeed

Keep it fresh

Make sure your plants look fantastic all year round by planting flowers still in their pots. This means you can also easily colour coordinate for a season or easily replace one if it dies.

Recycle

Use a milk bottle as a watering can by poking holes in the top and filling with water. You can easily adjust the water levels based on your preferences. A milk bottle can also be cut to make a shovel for dirt with filling pots etc.

Source: Buzzfeed

Effective replanting

If you need to repot or move plants, soak the root ball and new soil so they remain moist and won’t crumble apart.

Replanting can be a lot of work, so it may be a good idea to get some additional gardening help.

Natural fertiliser

Pour any left over rice water over your garden for a chemical-free way to provide nutrients to your plants.

Source: Health and Healthy Living

DIY irrigation

Making your own irrigation system is not as hard as you may think. All you need is a few water bottles dug next to a plant which you’ve cut holes into, and fill with water when required.

Need help with gardening services in London? Find a skilled gardener on Airtasker.