Hello All: not sure all the etiquette to this, so just gonna start and hope I’m able to get some good info here. I am a 50 yr old absolute novice when it comes to gardening/yard scaping. I’ve mowed my yard, weeded and raked, but that is about it. After the last couple of years of having every waking moment busy, I’ve decided I want to basically slow things down and get a hobby that keeps me occupied but not exhausted. my wife and I live in SE Minnesota (guessing that will impact much in what I do with your yard). We live in a nice neighborhood, and the people who lived in this house before us, you can tell they put some work in. However, after our first 2-3 years of putting in almost zero effort, those things are either lost or need a complete overhaul. I want to have a nice looking lawn and yard that my wife will smile at when coming home or sitting on the porch. we have two dogs that like to dig a bit (not too much), and well, their using our yard as a restroom has made the yard “splotchy” at best in spots. My main reason for joining is to hopefully get some good ideas and quite frankly, for some support as nobody I know knows gardens , or if they do, they don’t have the patience to talk to me in simple-enough terms. anyway- Hi, and hope this is what I’m looking for. Ball advice is greatly appreciated, so thank you in advance. I am hoping to get a lot of info over the next couple of months so that come springtime, I can hit the yard kneeling (haha), and make our yard something to be proud of
Hello @Honey-Do, from here in the UK. Let's hope between us we can come up with some brainwaves for your garden. We're scattered about all over the place, so I daresay we'll have one or two ideas. It would be good to have a look at your patch of garden, so if you could upload a photo or more we could have a good look and don our thinking caps
Thank you! It is more some small flowerbeds along my front entrance sidewalk and alongside the house in the back yard. Everything is under a new layer of snow now, but I will see what I cans find over the coming days. I was initially thinking some boxwoods along the sidewalk, then some flowers that give bright splashes of color amid some greenery. Not a big fan of tall plants-flowers….but again, I’m so novice I don’t even know what questions to ask! LOL.
One good short cut is always to look in the gardens near where you live and see how they are planted. Pick out a few bits you like and copy the neighbours. Another thing is to ask questions of the neighbours if they have nice gardens. Most gardeners appreciate it when someone bothers to admire their work. That is a good way to learn - and probably find out what sort of soil you are blessed with. Acid or Alkaline? Visit a garden centre once a month at least, and buy something to plant which is in flower and that way you should have some colour all the year round
Our beds get so weedy so fast, I’m thinking the best route may be to put down some fabric over all of it, then of course put down mulch on top of that…..my lazy way of not spending every waking moment away from work kneeling in my yard and de-weeding the flowerbeds. any tips or things to be aware of when it comes to fabric? Anything greatly appreciated
It's absolutely no good using that stuff if you want to grow plants in the garden. It is good to lay underneath pathways and patio areas, but gardening flowers is, or should be an organic experience. If you are going to have a nice garden you have to be a gardener, otherwise you might as well have plastic plants. Mulch is a good idea to use once a year -I have used spent mushroom compost or well rotted farmyard manure, although wood chips can also be used, or even shingle on top of the soil. I have always found weeding to be therapeutic, and the more hardy plants you put in, the less space there will be for weeds. PS It'll keep you fit too!!
Why is it bad to use? Damage to soil, or it won’t let the flowers do their thing naturally? Honestly asking…. We just have SO MANY WEEDS!! LOL…. And blushing a bit
It's bad because it will compress your soil and turn it into a sterile mass where creatures and plants will suffer because there won't be any air there. You need to provide good organic soil to encourage strong growth, and gardening is about working on this. The world is fast becoming a vast heap of concrete and plastic. Bees and other creatures are becoming extinct, and we do not appreciate what we are blessed with. Gardening in it's true state is very worthwhile. We all deal with weeds - it's part of the reward of seeing a good job done.
Is there a good way, that is friendly to soil, etc. to discourage weed growth? I’m guessing chemicals, etc is not preferable……also, I’m guessing that putting mulch down helps?
Honey Do, welcome! We are in central Texas, and where are you? Giving advice really depends a lot on area/climate/soil, so knowing where you are will really help a lot. Garden fabric will cause a mess. In addition to the problems Tetters mentioned, it also rips up, doesn't stay under mulch, and causes more problems than it solves. When we first moved here to the farm, the two "flower beds" had weed cloth, and I spent two seasons getting it out. Your yard will be lovely, but don't expect instant results. Gardening teaches patience and the use of muscles you never knew you had!
One year's weeds means seven year's seeds. Persistence will bring results. Magic wands are only pretending - like in Cinderella Give it a try - you might even get to enjoy the challenge. I'm 27 years older than you, and have - last year made some new gardens in my ex camping fields. This is just one of three. I dug and planted them myself last year. There will be a few weeds to deal with. You really do have to put can't in your pocket and pull try out. I wish you a lovely colourful garden, and the pleasure it can bring when you see what you have created....... don't forget the photos ok.
Thank you all for your input…. I hope I’m not coming off defensive in my responses—- I am soaking every single word in and taking to heart. I think what Tetters is advising is starting to hit home… this will either be a hobby, or just a hassle. I want the hobby…. So weeds, welcome, let’s get ready to rumble!!!!!
Tetters…… that is absolutely incredible! I don’t have anything near that for a yard, but maybe I will hone my beginner skills in my small yard and then be able to apply them when wifey and me build our final home…… maybe even have something akin to yours….. well, probably not
