THE PERKS OF BEING IN QUARANTINE (NOT BECOMING A WALLFLOWER)
The COVID19 virus has taken the world by surprise, with more people deciding to work from home for an unpredictable number of weeks. The question is what do you do when you have fortified yourself in your own property and Netflix has run out of series to binge over? For most people this means spending more time in their gardens, doing all those things you never had time for. Some even attempt to learn the art of gardening, whether to improve their mental or physical health, grow their own food or out of boredom.
1. Get your garden and yourself back into shape
A garden like most living things needs a lot of TLC (tender loving care) and in some cases a bit of harsh treatment and it all comes with a workout. Although winter is upon us there is still time to get those hardy shrubs back into shape and to trim the overgrown creepers. Revive your pavers and pebbles by giving them a good scrub, clean your water-features and maybe repair your decks and planter boxes. Remove weeds and organize your tool shed. A last application of compost and mulch will help to carry your garden through the winter months. You can still lift and split a variety of plants like agapanthus, wild iris (Dietes bicolor or Dietes grandiflora), daylillies (Hemerocallis) and cannas to name some. Pull out spent annuals and perennials or tidy up your beds and borders. Check or repair your irrigation systems before adjusting them for the coming winter, this helps save water and protect plants.
2. Reconnect
Gardens have always been synonymous with our spiritual health. Why not use your garden as more than just something to look at, and take your religion outside, or meditate in your garden? If you are not inclined to religion or meditation, you can still make an effort to use your garden more by maybe taking indoor furniture outdoors for a day, and set up your “work from home station” under a shady tree, have your breakfast outside, or set up an outdoor movie for your family.
3. Do some garden research
If you are a more enthusiastic gardener or starting this journey, do some reading and identify the plants in your garden taking note of their specific requirements. Most garden tasks are specific to your region and would require you to do a little bit of research. Why not set up your own gardening calendar? It is extremely interesting to find out more about the species you share your life with, and the amount organic gardening advice is astonishing. By Educating yourself a bit regarding your garden can not only give you a better insight into your garden’s opportunities and constraints, but also save you a lot of money.
No idea where to start? Enrol for one of our distance learning, garden design courses. There are 5 course fields to tickle your fancy, or you can do them all and learn all you need to know about the design process, measuring your garden, drawing plans, design, planting, and installing.
