It’s time to add gardens to your to summer cleaning list! While we don’t recommend removing plant material solely based on which plants spark joy, rejuvenating your gardens will help declutter your landscape and leave you feeling satisfied with your outdoor space! Check out our tips and tricks below to bring your garden back to life and find peace in your space once again:
Purpose:
- Gardens, when not maintained, grow thick, full, woody and lose their vigor/ flower show. Some shrubs and perennials can be rejuvenated, while others should be removed and replaced.
- Shrub and perennial removals and/or heavy pruning are often necessary due to tight planting spaces that are no longer allowing for full potential of each plant.
- Medium woody shrubs (dogwoods, large hydrangea etc…) can be pruned to encourage new, vigorous and colourful growth from the base
- Large shrubs can be pruned(thinned out and lower branches removed) They then can add strong structural aspects to the design. Otherwise, it is advantageous to remove them to allow for smaller additions to the planting design
- Old spreading perennials (black eyed susans, hostas, lungwort, grasses…etc) can be dug up, divided into multiple sections and replanted apart from each other allowing for room to grow and regain vigor. Perennials often thrive from division and transplanting if done properly and at the right time.
- Soil should be overturned and amended with organic matter (ie. leaf compost or manure)
Steps to Rejuvenating Your Garden
- Prune: Before you remove a plant see if it can be pruned back to full health. Proper practices for pruning and perennial division must be maintained for a successful reorder and healthy growth of existing plant material
- Edit: Enlisting the help of a good garden designer would be very beneficial to ensure the right design aspects are taken into consideration when selecting which areas to keep and which areas to remove and adjust. Self assessment may lead to removing material that is still healthy and just needs rejuvenation. Always edit with caution if you are not sure about a plant.
- Add New Material: Adding new material will keep your garden looking refreshed and on trend. Designs are built on principles such as proportion, order, repetition and unity. When selecting how to renovate or rejuvenate a garden, these principles must be considered. Additional plant material can be considered once existing plant material has been worked into the design.
Need help deciding what stays and what goes? Our expert gardeners will help edit your landscape and help create a refreshed garden.
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