Many 55 plus seniors I know love gardening. It is a great stress-reliever and helps keep them active and healthy. Now that summer is here, many of you may want to pay attention to your garden and show it off to your friends and neighbors. You may find that gardening or keeping your lawn can sometimes be a very difficult and tiresome task. However, this does not have to be so. With a little planning and the right tools, you will be able to spend less time working on the garden and more time lounging in your deck chair enjoying the fruits of your labor. Here are a few easy summer gardening tips for you.
Select the Right Tools
This is one of the most important things when you garden. Before you purchase the highest tech tools consider the size of your garden. Do you really need big, heavy machinery? Consider your health as you will be doing the work. Lifting heavy machines can tax your health. Select tools that are comfortable and easy to use.
Consider Low-Maintenance Plants
Sometimes, the plants that look the best require the most maintenance. Some of these plants may need to be looked after carefully during winter and this is sure to keep you spending more time than you should in your garden. So, if you want to spend the least time in your garden, yet you want it to look good, consider low-maintenance plants, such as peonies, coneflowers, and black-eyed-Susans.
Use a Garden Cultivator
These things are excellent for maintaining your garden and will cut your garden time by half. An electric cultivator will speed up the soil-preparing process and make quick work of compost, fertilizer, etc. as well as, eliminate weeds.
Use Containers for a Change of Scene
Planting in pots will save you the time of digging up plants. If you want a change of scene try ceramic pots with holes in the bottom and plant your flowers in them. They are pretty and will let you do some of your trimming and pruning work in the shade, by simply shifting the pots to where you can sit down and work on them.
Recycle the Clippings
Clippings are the remnants of grass and other things that you bag after you mow your lawn. Leaving these clippings adds vital nutrients back into the soil when they decompose. The best news about this is you spend less time and energy bagging the clippings.
Always take a Break
Mowing your lawn and other gardening activities can tax your body. This can stress your muscles and joints. If you feel tired or wrung out, keep your work for another day. Your health is more important than a pretty garden.
If you adhere to these tips, you will not only have a well-kept garden but will spend less time on it and more time enjoying the summer and the fruits of your labors.