How To Revive A Neglected Garden
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It’s never too late to save a neglected garden. Whether it’s an overgrown jungle or a barren wasteland, you can still get it back to its former glory – and it may not require as much work as you think. In fact, sometimes all that is needed is a little tree trimming. Below are just a few tips for reviving a neglected garden.
Reviving an overgrown jungle…
If your garden is an overgrown jungle, it will need to be cut back. If things have got really wild, this will typically require the best leaf blowers, strimmer’s and hedge trimmers.
You will need to assess the garden before you do any cutting back. This firstly involves deciding what plants to keep and which to get rid of. In most cases, the best plants end up being killed off and the unwanted weeds take over, however there may be cases where plants worth saving are still alive and thriving. Make sure to preserve these plants as you cut back.
Hidden within the mass of plants there could be nests of animals or rubble or other objects that you may need to be wary of. Things like wasps nests may need to be tackled by a professional and are worth looking out for.
Reviving a barren wasteland…
If everything in your garden is dry and dead, a different approach may be needed. First, you will need to assess why nothing is growing. There are three main reasons for a dead garden:
- An overgrown tree or hedge may be casting a shadow over your entire garden. No sunlight could mean no growth.
- There has been a period of drought and the soil and your plants have become dehydrated.
- A fungal disease or parasites have taken over your garden and killed off all the plants.
If lack of sunlight is responsible, consider what the source of the shade is and whether you can remove or trim this back. If it’s a tree in a neighbour’s garden, you may have to ask them if they can trim it back slightly. If the source of shade cannot be tackled but there are still glimmers of light poking through, you may still be able to keep your garden alive by sticking to shade-loving plants.
When it comes to lack of moisture meanwhile, you may want to consider finding ways to add more moisture to your garden. A dying lawn may be possible to revive by aerating it and sprinkling it with water regularly. If it’s beyond that point, consider starting over by buying some new roll on turf. Regular watering will be needed to keep plants alive.
As for disease and parasites, you may want to get help from gardening experts. Understanding exactly what the disease or parasite is will help you to treat it. Once this is eliminated, you can then start reviving your garden – do not try planting anything new until the fungus or parasite is gone.
Redesigning your garden
When it comes to redesigning your garden, you should consider how high-maintenance or low-maintenance you are willing to go. A low-maintenance garden is less likely to return to the same state as before – by choosing hardy plants and keeping them contained in pots, you can pretty much leave them to their own devices without worrying about them taking over your garden or dying. Alternatively, after the challenge of reviving your garden, you may find that you are willing to plant a few high maintenance plants – they may even encourage you to get out in the garden more and stay on top of general garden maintenance.
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