Fresh Ideas for the Garden By Taylor Shillam
Looking to refresh your garden space? Spring is here, along with a fresh set of inspiration to revive your garden space, no matter how small! This year’s gardens will be more adaptable and sustainable than ever before, encouraging creativity and balance in every gardener.
Enjoy a Cozy, Comfortable Garden Space
A lot of work goes into a garden—and for many, that’s on top of the work performed in day-to-day life! Today’s gardens are becoming increasingly multifunctional, with plenty of opportunities for your hard work to translate into a relaxing outdoor sanctuary.
Investing in small, comfortable accessories like outdoor furniture and cushions, outdoor rugs and transformative lighting (look for the stake lights and easy solar lighting that are on-trend) can make all the difference in maximizing the comfort and tranquility of your garden space—and the time you get to enjoy it!
Go Yard-Free with Container Gardening
For garden spaces, lawns are not required! Today, container gardening is an easy concept to have the beauty and feel of a home garden—even without a lawn.
Using containers to act as a garden on paved areas, patios and balconies make gardening simple from anywhere! The options for containers themselves is a long list, including plastic pots, repurposed old jars, hanging flower baskets, window boxes and more! The key to successful container gardening is to ensure an even water supply with proper drainage holes within the container, and do your research to choose the proper type of compost.
Get Intentional and Sustainable
The connection between gardeners’ at-home practices and worldwide environmental concerns is becoming more apparent, and sustainable gardens are on the rise. Looking beyond the scope of the backyard is more common and more doable this spring!
Home gardens can become wildlife-friendly and eco-friendly with a few simple strategies, including the effective use of water by catching rainwater (think a simple, easily assembled wildlife pond), avoiding chemical soil treatments and pesticides, and selecting native, pollinator-friendly plants that thrive in your local climate.
Shopping Small and Local
Did you know the “shop small” concept can apply to your gardening habits? Part of a dedication to keeping your garden habits sustainable and health-promoting beyond your property limits can come from supporting local businesses and farms.
A combination of at-home DIY gardening efforts and turning to those local businesses for soils, plants, tips and supplies you need for your garden can help you use your space to make a difference—not just for the environment but for the local economy!
Add Your Fruit
Even gardeners with limited square footage have the option to grow a supply of nature’s candy! If you’ve always wanted to grow your own fruit, but feel limited in your options, it’s time to explore further.
Dwarf trees offer Northwest gardeners the opportunity to grow a variety of fruits (more than just apples), and easily thrive in smaller spaces and unique microclimates.
These types of schemes lend privacy and shade to entertainment spaces and make gardens into sanctuary spaces. Trees, shrubs, and plenty of perennials, help people and wildlife work together and create green spaces for good mental health and well-being.
Enhanced Touches for Your Well-Being
For most gardeners, the habit is a meditative pastime. More than planting and landscaping, gardening can be a form of light exercise, stress release and therapeutic movement. The natural foods and herbs grown in a garden are a form of medicine on their own.
This spring, take the wellness aspect of gardening a step further with extra attention to simple factors like sensory stimulation. Scents from fragrant plants help further engage you while you’re enjoying your garden space. Utilize sounds from water features or wind chimes to further enhance the mood. Then make sure you have a cozy, comfortable spot to take it all in from!
This spring, making the most of what you have with a few select, intentional additions is the key to achieving your best garden, not just for your home but for the environment that surrounds it.
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