Christopher, our college aged son, came home in mid December for his winter break. We greeted him with smiles, hugs and a list of projects that we needed his help with.
“Can you please help Dad carry the treadmill down two flights of stairs?”
“I need you to install a new router on my computer.”
“I don’t know how to log into the Youtube channel that you set up for our company.”
Although he certainly didn’t mind pitching in, I realized that we had become ‘those’ parents. The kind who you are a bit tentative to visit because instead of visiting, you will end up working.
We all want to maintain our independence. For many of us, it just isn’t in our nature to ask for help. How though can we maintain our independence while keeping our lives and homes running smoothly? While I haven’t quite figured out how to do that inside my own home, I do know how it can be achieved outside the home.
A low maintenance landscape can be achieved through careful planning. In this column, I address common gardening chores and how to move towards minimizing those activities.
Weeding – I am not sure any of us enjoy pulling weeds. The key is to minimize the amount of weeds that grow in the first place. Hand cultivation of small weeds before they go to seed will reduce the amount of weeds. Having strong healthy plants in your planting beds will often shade out potential weeds. The root system of a healthy lawn will minimize the weeds in your lawn as well. Pre-emergent weed control products such as Corn Gluten and Preen suppress weed growth. Hardwood Mulch also suppresses weed growth. By filling your landscaping with healthy plants, using a pre-emergent herbicide, applying mulch and removing small weeds shortly after they start to germinate you should be able to enjoy the beautiful site of weed free beds. If, however, the weeds, have already gotten the better of you in certain beds, consider removing the plants and putting down a landscape fabric. When covered with mulch, this fabric will act as an invisible weed barrier. After a period of time, when it seems that the weeds and weed seeds have been suppressed, the fabric can be removed and the planting bed developed again.
Pruning – Pruning is an art form. When done well it can greatly enhance the shape and beauty of a shrub or tree. Pruning though can be a frustrating task when you are continually having to remove portions of the plant because it is growing over a sidewalk, above a window or hitting the side of your home. Depending on your level of frustration with a particular shrub or tree, you may want to have it removed. Although it is difficult to justify removing a live plant, when the right plant was planted in the wrong place, sometimes it might need to go.
Watering – Good watering practices actual encourage the root systems of perennial flowers, groundcover, vines, shrubs and trees to develop a strong root system. This strong root system is better able to seek out water on its own with less reliance on supplemental watering. When watering infrequent, thorough soakings are much healthier for the plant than watering a little bit each day.
Consider the Scope – Planting beds naturally get larger over time. After 16-20 years your planting beds may be considerably larger than they once were. If you are finding it difficult to keep up with the weeding, pruning and watering, consider eliminating some of your planting beds and replacing them with sod. Please let me be clear. I LOVE plants. A fragrant garden filled with a variety of colors has the power to heal our mind and our bodies. The reality is though, if you are simply not able to keep up with the work that is required or have other priorities, 10 rolls of sod placed strategically in your yard, may make a huge difference in its appearance.
Right Plant, Right Place – We wouldn’t dream of purchasing a pair of pants without knowing their size. Please don’t purchase plants without knowing their mature height and width. A gorgeous plant sited incorrectly can result in hours of unnecessary maintenance. Evaluate the conditions of your site; sunlight, soil and space for growth. Make sure anything you plant is suited for your planting situation.
Now with all my free time, I can help Christopher find a house to rent in Tennessee, research banks for his new company and text him recommendations of bathroom cleaning products. I guess we both still need each other.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a landscape design and construction company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
