When the Garden Becomes All Too Much

There comes a time in every home-owner’s life when sadly, because of a variety of reasons, the garden becomes too much to take care of. This can cause quite a degree of consternation especially if you have formerly put a lot of blood, sweat, money, and tears into your garden. Apart from selling up and moving to a smaller property, there are several options open to you to get things under control.

First of all, consider hiring a gardener to come in and complete routine tasks such as mowing, edging, hedging and weeding.

It may be the case that the more demanding parts of your garden need to be altered. For example, a traditional English cottage garden is absolutely gorgeous, but takes an enormous amount of work in terms of pruning, weed control, and watering. Similarly, a vegetable garden while highly productive and rewarding, takes a great deal of vigilance, especially this time of year when zucchinis turn into dirigibles overnight.

Consider engaging a landscape designer to come and chat to you about alternatives to your current garden arrangements. Difficult areas can be turned into patios or lawns. You might even consider installing a sloping rock wall with easy care succulents between the rocks. You could have raised beds built that have enough room on all sides so that you can reach the centre. Discuss having pathways installed that are wide enough and flat enough to make it easy for those with walkers, canes, or wheelchairs to access.

Gardening is a wonderful passion for so many people, and the health benefits are well established. Don’t feel that your personal limitations mean the end of your passion. Seek advice and take action to make your garden more manageable and this way it will provide satisfaction for many years to come.

• Topics:

• Gardening
• Living and Lifestyle