Our gardens are taking a beating right now, not only from the endless sun, but from us – between the barbecues, garden parties, playtimes and general lounging around, our gardens are seeing footfall like never before.
The trouble is with the endless heat comes a lack of upkeep – it can’t be helped! The occasional toy might be left out on the grass or an empty glass may be abandoned on the table.
A little mess is no bad thing, but when clutter and overgrowth start to take over and pests follow, that’s when your garden needs addressing. We spoke to four landscape designers to find out what’s most likely to make a garden look messy and how you can rectify the situation.
1. Persistent weeds
The first thing to take care of is weeds. These take root in the garden all year round and will gradually sap the light, moisture and space from anything growing nearby, eventually killing the intended greenery by suffocation.
‘Weeds growing in your patio cracks, gravel or along pathways read like neglect faster than almost all other elements of a garden, even if every other element in your garden is very nice,’ says Lucia Fuentes, interior designer and professional organiser at Coastal Maid San Diego. ‘My clients put high-quality weed membranes underneath their gravel or repoint the patio joints so they won't grow again right away.’
Try to pull up the full root of the weed so it won’t grow back again. There are patio weeding tools and eco weed killers widely available, but take care not to spill or apply this too close to an intended plant. If your patio is made from natural stone, check its suitability and test on an inconspicuous area first.
The GHI's best eco weed killers
2. Overgrown lawn
While this isn’t a problem you’ll want to address if you’re currently going through a hosepipe ban, you’ll certainly want to bear it in mind once the rain returns and our lawns are restored!
‘A lawn that isn’t regularly mowed in the summer can make your garden look uncared for and messy’ says Chrissie Handley, lawn care specialist and gardening expert working for Online Turf. ‘If you keep on top of your lawn maintenance and mow to a consistent height, not only will it make your garden look neater, but it’s better for your lawn health. A regularly mowed lawn helps increase airflow to the ground and encourages denser, thicker growth.’
That thicker growth prevents weeds by blocking the seeds from taking root and limiting the sunlight at ground level. What’s more, an overgrown lawn makes pests more likely, such as mice and slugs, so mowing is for the best. However, bear in mind you won’t want to mow while conditions are consistently dry and the grass is dormant or you will damage it.
3. A lack of edge
While you’re dealing with the lawn, pay special attention to the edges. ‘Edging your lawn helps you have clean, defined borders, rather than letting different sections of your garden encroach on one another,’ says Chrissie. ‘Not only does this encourage different sections, such as the lawn and flowerbeds, to compete for nutrients, but it can make your garden look unplanned and not very purposeful.
‘Straight, defined borders help your garden look professionally designed, especially if you want to elevate it a step further and add brick or stone edging. If you have a smaller garden, you may find curved borders also make the space appear larger.’
The Karcher LTR 18-30 Cordless Grass Trimmer is the best strimmer, according to testing at the GHI, with a score of 92/100.
4. Too many plants
Yes, it turns out you can have too much of a good thing, says Chrissie.
‘It's tempting to fill a garden with plants, but too many can actually make your garden feel overcrowded, especially if you’re choosing plants with similar flowering times, giving you intense blooms at one point in the season but making it look slightly barren the rest of the year.
‘Stagger your planting so you get blooms all year round and plant with dimension and depth in mind. Place taller plants towards the back of the garden to make the area seem dense and deep. Mixing different plant textures, colours, heights and styles will make the garden feel well-rounded and purposeful.’
Using a garden diary or calendar can help you to schedule what’s likely to bloom and when. It can also act as a reminder when things didn’t go to plan, so you can do things differently next year, especially if certain plants encourage pests into your garden.
5. Faded furniture
Sun-bleached patio furniture is likely when it’s left out in the garden, exposed to the UV rays. But this doesn’t have to be the end of the line for it, according to Kur Win Lau, founder of MyRenoService.
‘There is nothing that makes back gardens look more outdated than patio furniture that’s light in colour, unevenly faded and, in some cases, semi-chalky – and maybe a few cushions short. Many people think the first step to improve the look of their back garden is to purchase new furniture. In reality, the furniture can be given a good wash, a coat of spray paint that is safe for the outdoors (and, in some cases, the indoors) and some new matching cushions to cut back on cost, while really improving the space.’
Wash your patio furniture according to the material. For plastic and aluminium, soapy water will give it a good refresh, while durable wood types, such as teak, oak and mahogany, should be wiped with teak oil twice a year. Fragile wood, such as ash, elm and beech, will need preserving every few years.
6. Forgotten toys and tools
Of course, you want to avoid clutter being left outside, too. Not only will it be damaged by the weather, but it can easily get lost or become a tripping hazard. Kur Win continues:
‘Hose reels, tools and toys thrown around your garden make it look neglected, even if they’re fine separately. Dedicated storage solves this. Benches with lift-up seats, vertical sheds and hose boxes give places storage and will make them more likely to be used.’
Quickly making the rounds after each session in the garden to pick up any rogue items will keep it looking maintained. Toys can be kept and rotated using outdoor storage. Gardening tools should always be stored in the shed or greenhouse after use, as exposure to rainfall will lead to rusting, making it one of the many things in the garden that needs cleaning.
7. A messy tree
Finally, you want to consider any mess left behind by the greenery itself, too, so says Tyler Mainka, co-founder of Best Burn Firewood and Best Bark Mulch.
‘The thing nobody thinks about when they plant something is what it drops later. Maples are the worst for this issue; those helicopter seeds fall down into the mulch and sprout into hundreds of little saplings that you can’t get rid of easily. Flowering trees like magnolia and crabapple are another: the petals come down and mat into a wet slimy layer across the whole bed.
‘It doesn’t matter how fresh your mulch is underneath; the bed looks neglected within days of rain or wind. It is always best to consider what a tree, bush or plant is going to drop before you put it in a packed bed. And if the tree’s already there, just plan on raking the bed out a few times a season instead of expecting mulch to be set-and-forget.’
Keep in mind that any rotting fruit will need to be removed promptly once it falls or it will likely encourage pests such as squirrels, flies and wasps.
