Did you know that in the past year nearly 164 million Americans have done some sort of gardening? There are many benefits to getting out and working on your garden. It gets you outside, provides a little bit of exercise and it helps you maintain or even increase the value of your house. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, there are a ton of simple projects you can do to spruce of your yard all on your own. For all of you out there who would love to try your hand at gardening but don’t know where to begin, consider one of these easy, do-it-yourself garden landscaping projects:
- Build a Stone Pathway – A stone pathway can be both visually pleasing and provide a new walkway in your yard or garden. The first thing you’ll want to do is design the layout of your pathway. Think about where you want it to be, what type of landscaping stones you want to use and how many you will need. Once you have this figured out and have purchased the desired stones, lay the stones down on the grass how you think you want them to be organized. This will allow you to change things around if you decide you don’t like the original design. Once you’ve settled this, use a shovel to trace a groove around each stone. You can now dig a shallow hole under the stones, lifting each one up individually as you go along. Once you’ve finished, you’ll want to replant grass around the stones.
- Mulch Your Garden – Mulching your garden serves many purposes. It can keep moisture in the soil, regulate plant temperature, prevent the growth of weeds and it improves the look of your garden landscaping. Mulch is usually applied during the first summer months to warm the soil and stimulate plant growth, but it can also be reapplied in the fall to protect plants from cold temperatures. Before mulching, it is important to weed. Otherwise, you will help the weeds grow! Mulch layers should be about two to three inches deep when using a finer material
(compost or shredded bark), or four inches for thicker materials (straw or wood chips). Be careful to leave a little space around plants when applying mulch, otherwise you could kill your plants. - Fill in the Bare Spots in Your Lawn – A patchy lawn isn’t very pleasing to look at. Bare spots may be the result of drought, pesky insects, chemicals or heavy foot traffic. Sod sheets, grass seed or lawn patches can be purchased from your local gardening store to repair your damaged lawn. Once you have your desired repair product, you’ll want to dig a six inch hole in the bare spot and break up any clumps. Next, fill in the hole with seeds, sod or a lawn patch, mixing in top soil to to help the seeds grow. Water the spot frequently to promote the growth of your new grass.
These are just a few of the easy landscaping designs that gardeners of all levels can do themselves. For help with your garden landscaping, don’t be afraid to ask your local garden store. Find out more here.