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With the heat of summer behind us, it’s the perfect time to tackle a landscaping job around your home. You’ve got plenty of time to knock it over before next spring when you can get out and enjoy your handiwork. Here are a few suggestions on what you can do during the cooler months.
Build a retaining wall
Necessary on sloping sites, you can also use a retaining wall to create garden beds and add dimension to your garden. The material options for your wall depend on your style of garden and skill level. Treated pine sleepers are easy to work with and go together quickly. If a more solid masonry look is your thing, there’s a wide range of retaining wall blocks designed for the DIYer. They simply stack together without the need for mortar.
Prepare a garden bed
Add a bit of life to a bland area of your garden by creating a garden bed. Remove any hard surface or grass to get to the soil then keep digging, breaking up the soil to start the process of improving it. Make the depth of your bed around 30 to 40 cm. To give your new plants the best head start, you’ll need to improve the soil so it’s full of nutrients. Add organic matter with compost and manure, digging through the soil thoroughly. Include Gypsum into the mix if you have clay soils as it breaks them up. Adding a wetting agent is also a good idea, as it will help the bed retain water so there’s more available for the plants. Finish off with a border to define your bed and stop the soil from washing away.
Lay pavers
Spruce up your front path or create a fantastic outdoor entertaining area by laying pavers. If you take a bit of care, it’s not hard to achieve spectacular results. Large format pavers in an entertaining area will make it seem larger and they’re also quicker to lay. Use smaller pavers on a path, as it’s easier to achieve a symmetrical pattern that’s pleasing to the eye. Plan your pattern before you start and always make sure the paving slopes away from your house to avoid drainage issues.
Install an irrigation system
There’s no downside to installing an irrigation system in your garden! Because it delivers the water exactly where your plants need it, you use less water than if you were just spraying it all over. The little bit of time it takes to do now will be paid off in spades when the warmer weather hits because you’ll be out enjoying it and not doing a chore in the garden. Add a timer to the system and your days of watering the garden are over!
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