How to constructively evaluate your garden design
True gardeners understand that a garden is always a work in progress. Because of this they are constantly evaluating their garden, making changes, and hopefully making improvements. However, if you are a new or inexperienced gardener you may be wondering what factors to look closely at. Here is what you need to know about how to constructively evaluate your garden design-
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- Focus on what worked-As yourself what did you really love about your garden. Hopefully there is at least one section of your garden that works really well. That should be a key to telling you what your style of gardening is, as well as what truly grows well in your conditions. Take a clear look at everything around you from your veggie garden, to your landscaping to see what you really like.
- Note what went wrong-After examining your successes; you need to take a clear idea to what maybe didn't work out so well. If your gardening season seemed like an endless parade of problems, now is the time to take some notes, in order to make some changes. Remember that you need to take a close look at what you're growing, and how it's growing. Clearly identifying the problems will enable to prepare solutions, so that you don't have the same problems to deal with next year.
- Did you have the right plants at the right time? It is important that you were able to enjoy your garden. Did your flowers bloom when were there to see them? Did your veggies produce when you were there to harvest? If things didn't mesh with your schedule, then they weren't right for you.
- Were your plants as hardy as you wanted them to be? If you find yourself with blank spaces in the gardening cycle you need to rethink your overall garden design. You need to play with the sequence of bloom in your gardens. You want to strive for having a different section peak at different times, rather than trying to have the whole garden in flower all season. Also you should give more focus to colorful and unusual foliage that's stunning all season.
- Do you have a show-off or two in your garden? It is important to determine if you have an enthusiastic grower or two that has crowded out other plants. It could be time to do some thinning and dividing. If you don't have the time for it now, you should at least mark the plants this fall, so you won't be tempted to let them be in the spring. Keep in mind that as your garden matures, you need to be more selective about what gets space in it.
- Were weeds a problem? If the weeds got away from you, you will need to make a note to mulch earlier next year. Sometimes you can just get caught up in planting or waiting to see what has self-seeded, and then before you know it, every weed seed that landed in your borders, has now firmly taken hold. While mulching isn't fun, it can free up so much time you would otherwise spend weeding and watering. If you really hate to mulch, try getting more plants, since exposed soil is an open invitation to weeds.
- Did you enjoy what you did? Were you able to spend anytime sitting and enjoying your garden or better still, entertaining in your garden? It's important to take time to appreciate what you've created. If you don't have a seating area (or 2 or 3) in your garden, you should design one this winter. Whether it's a small table and chairs, a stone patio with a fire pit, if you build it, they will come.
