I’ve spent the last few days overwhelmed with how far behind I am in my home’s garden maintenance.
Yesterday, I knocked the weeds down with a weed wacker because they were so overgrown.
This morning, I flame-weeded our gravel driveway.
Finally, I hoped to tune up the lawn mower but fell behind in my plans.
The Perfect Day Maintaining Gardens?
I used to think that if I woke early, had a good plan, and worked hard, I could finish my garden maintenance chores in one or two days.
The family and I would barbecue chicken with an Italian glaze while enjoying the immaculately maintained landscape. Fresh-cut flowers adorn a vase at the center of the table.
While I sometimes rise early, I never get as much done as I want.
In summary, I get sidetracked, and tasks often (always) take longer than anticipated.
Weather can also cause delays.
How did I get so far behind?
I stopped weeding my garden in September last year. I’ve been experimenting with flame weeding, and the hose to the torch broke.
I searched the internet for a replacement hose, but nobody had it in stock.
I visited a local propane supplier. The replacement hose cost more than the torch and hose did new.
I lost motivation.
Winter annual weeds, especially chickweed and grassy weeds, overtake my gardens.
Sugar maple seedlings carpet parts of the landscape.
Our Newtown, CT, arborist visited twice last winter and cut the wood to log lengths. I cut the equivalent of three large sugar maples worth of wood.
While cutting the logs, I could have been picking up sticks, cutting back perennials and weeding.
I don’t regret the decision.
It gave me an immense sense of accomplishment.
The Reality of Maintaining Gardens
While many wait for the first warm day to start working in the garden, we should do what we can when we can.
Work at a steady pace and gradually move forward. Enjoy time in the landscape throughout the year, not just in the spring.
That’s how to make great landscapes.
Comments
7 responses to “Garden Maintenance is a Journey, Not a Destination”
I totally relate because I could have written most of what you said😊
I feel better knowing I’m not the only one. Hopefully others will get some validation too.
John, I so appreciate your candid and honest comments about how things really go…
Sometimes we get lucky and things go as planned, but often, it’s best to be grateful for whatever we do accomplish in the midst of LIFE interjecting itself, or surrender to rescheduling for another time.
How things really go is hitting me harder than ever this year. I’ve also reached a turning point where I’m trying to decide why I planted so many gardens in the yard. Looking forward to getting some more done today while staying mindful and in the moment.
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I was so glad to see a blog from you, I was just telling a friend about you last week and all your great advice. You certainly hit on a couple pet peeves of mine with the waaaay too much mulch around trees piled high on the trunk, and sheering every shrub, no matter the variety, into a ball. I hand prune almost all shrubs with my 20 year old Felco pruner. Only exceptions are most spirea and most arborvitae, but then I so fine tuning with my pruner – obvious stubs and dead. We had the warmest winter on record here and hardly any snow. If we got snow it wouldn’t take long to melt a few days later, however, we are paying for that nice weather in April with rain and wind which is 30 to 40 mph almost every other day. I am gradually getting my 27 yards cleaned up and pruned, mostly pruned cause wet leaves are no fun to move.
Wish I could send you a picture of that totally overgrown Dwarf Korean lilac on a standard I pruned last year. I took it back to about a third of it’s size, with just well spaced main branches, thinned out the excess growth this spring and right now it looks amazing and is going to bloom big time this spring. Thanks for all the excellent advice!
Overmulching and shearing everything are my pet peeves as well.
We had a mild mid-winter but it’s been crazy nasty the last 4-6 weeks. No snow. Simply cold, wet and windy.
The Korean lilac sounds beautiful. I can see it blooming already.