If you are an avid gardener, and you are looking to turn your home into something that looks stunning year-round, then having a lush lawn, perennial plants, and some clean and durable garden furniture will go a long way.  A good yard doesn’t have to cost the earth to create – the real secret is time and attention.  Here are a few top tips that will help you to put together the perfect yard.

1 – Care for Those Yellow Patches

We have been taught, over years, to believe that the yellow patches on a lawn are caused by little pests or insects, but that isn’t always the case. Some of them are actually just low spots that could have been caused by standing water building up. You can find out if this is the case by just spreading a little bit of compost over the yellow spot and waiting. Within a couple of weeks, you should see some fresh grass growing up to fill in that patch, and the fresh grass should be a healthy, dark green color.

2 – Care for those Brown Patches

If you have spots or circles that are more brown than yellow, then these could have been caused by a dog urinating on the grass. This is a bit of a problem because the nitrogen in the urine can kill off the grass. Nitrogen itself is not bad in small quantities – indeed it is actually found in fertilizers because small amounts of it can be hugely beneficial for your grass. In large quantities, however, it can be toxic, and the stress of the growth can be rather dangerous for the grass, killing it off.   Female dogs tend to urinate in a large amount in one specific spot (where males tend to run around and mark different areas), and this means that female dogs are more likely to kill off your lawn.  There’s not much that you can do about it if you have a dog, except training it not to go on the lawn. If it’s a neighbor’s dog doing it, then your best option is to try to dilute the urine after the lawn has been exposed to it – watering the spot with a lot of water. However, this can still cause issues and leave the lawn soggy.

3 – Leave Some Mulch

Mulching mowers are great for saving you money on fertilizer. You don’t need to gather up all of the grass trimmings each time you mow the lawn. If your mower shreds grass, and then drops the shredded ends back onto the lawn, then it is doing you a favor because that cut-up grass is rich in nutrients and will therefore help to support the growth of fresh grass when it breaks down and turns into food for the lawn.

4 – Pick the Right Time to Aerate Your Lawn

Aeration is one of those jobs that a lot of people are scared of.  They think that it’s complex, and that it would be hard to do alone. That isn’t really the case. Aeration is not a hard job – it’s something that you can do yourself with the appropriate hand tool.  All you need to do is be aware that you are sticking a spike into the lawn, so you will need to be mindful of buried cables and the location of your sprinklers.

It is a good idea to find out when your lawn needs aerating. Depending on the type of grass you have, you might want to do it in the spring, or later in the year. There’s not usually any need to do it multiple times per year, however.

5 – Pick Low Maintenance Plants

There are some plants that grow well in shade, some that grow well in the sun, and some that prefer shade. You will find that there are some plants that need extensive watering, and some that are more tolerant to a little time left untended. Pick plants that will grow well in your garden, and that reflect the amount of time you have available to devote to them. This will ensure that you don’t end up with wilted, dying plants for no good reason. Consult with Discover Ziehler for assistance.

6 – Pick Furniture That Is Easy to Care For

If you live in an area where the weather is wet, windy and blustery, then you should remember that when it comes to furniture, you will need something that can survive the abuse that the local climate will expose it to. If you live in a sunny area, look for something that can cope with prolonged sun exposure.

UPVC furniture is quite durable and easy to clean. Stained wood furniture can do well if it is a hard wood and you live in a generally dry climate. You can always move the wood furniture to a covered area when the weather turns bad.

Take some time to fix up fences, rake leaves, and keep the garden clean and tidy. Pressure wash the driveway or paths, and generally try to keep the area as clean as possible. It will pay off.

It is clutter that tends to make gardens and drives look ugly over time. You’ll find that if you keep it clean and tidy it looks better and it can even look bigger too. Trim your trees and bushes, keep the lawn mower to the right height and trimmed around the edge, and take good care of the plants on the borders too. Water regularly (or use sprinklers with good sensors) and remember that little and often is the most efficient when it comes to lawn care.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a garden that looks like it belongs on the cover of Beautiful Homes – most of what makes your garden look beautiful is care and knowledge, and if you’re diligent about taking care of your lawn it will reward you by growing to be thick, green and luscious over time.