Just like the inside of your home needs a good clean-up every now and then, so too does your garden…
Streamline your garden areas – Take a walk around your garden to assess its current design. Your aim should be to keep your plantings clustered and cohesive, and forgo w-i-d-e-s-p-r-e-a-d, overcrowded, mish-mashed and ‘bitty’ garden beds all over your yard. Unify beds using colour (create a yellow garden or red garden, for instance) or group together varieties of the same plant, such as lavender. Always choose plant varieties that will thrive in your area and resist the temptation to fill up every space – empty spaces in your garden can be enjoyed too.
Turf the pots and other paraphernalia – Gather together all of your potting supplies so you can deal with them in one go. Get rid of duplicate items, broken pots and things you no longer use. Dust off the pots you’re keeping and maybe give them a lick of paint.
Plant afresh – Plants that are past their prime can be refreshed through dividing them and replanting then somewhere new, in nutrient-rich soil. If they’re beyond help, turn them into nourishing compost. Weeds, invasive and poisonous plants qualify as clutter and need to go (make sure you remove the whole plant, roots and all).
Get a skip – It will save on trips to the dump, plus you’ll also be incentivized to do the work to fill it.
Spruce up your tools – You can’t clear out your garden using blunt tools or ones in need of repair. Sharpen up, oil handles and replace where you need to.
Enlist the help of a pro – When it comes to trickier things such as tree felling, rather call in an expert.
Trim the edges – Nothing makes a yard look neater than newly-mowed lawn and trimmed lawn edges along driveways, paths and paving. While you’re at it, tackle the weeds and any grass pushing through paving.
Rope in the whole family – Turn your garden de-cluttering into a team sport; from raking up leaves and moving sticks and logs, to sorting stones, rocks and boulders, to giving the patio furniture a makeover. There’s a job for every age.
Size matters – When it comes to new plantings, plant with ‘mature sizes’ in mind and leave them room to grow; it’s more than a little difficult to transplant cramped, fully-grown shrubs later on.
Prune the ‘overgrown’ – Perhaps it’s time to heavily prune a mature tree? Or those hedges may be looking a little shabby? Trim them back into shape.
Set the hose on it – Use a high-pressure hose to clean paving, pathways and stonework. If you’ve got a concrete patio, give it a really good clean too.
Store and systemize – Keep items that you use often, front and centre in the garage or shed, rather than in a hard-to-get-to corner. It should be just as easy to put something away as it is to find it. Set up systems to make it easy to keep things organized going forward. Invest in storage bins and trolleys to keep your garden gear. Clutter isn’t always trash; often it’s just stuff without a place to go (like the abandoned hose lying on the lawn, when it should be rolled up on a hose reel).
Decorate and update – Add inexpensive touches such as hurricane lamps on the patio table and bright new cushions for the chairs. Even a water feature, birdbath, garden bench or new braai can give the garden a more hospitable feel.
Got more garden ‘de-cluttering’ tips to share? Post them here…
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