How To Simplify Your Yard

You may not think your yard needs simplified but it really does.  If you find yourself overwhelmed with the upkeep of your yard, simplifying and getting everything organized can really help.
Purge

First you have to think of what you can get rid of when it comes to the plants and decor.  If you have broken and very old garden decor or statues, get rid of them.  If you have sick or dying trees and shrubs, get rid of them.  Only keep things in your yard that should be there in the future so it's easier to maintain. If you have garden beds that you don't use and end up overwhelmed with the weeds each year, dig all the weeds out and consider tossing native wildflower seeds in it and just let them take over.  Parts of your yard that you had cleared for things like a vegetable garden or something else but aren't being used for that purpose and likely won't be in the future can be filled in with ground cover and grass.  It will look a lot nicer. 

Consider pulling out shrubs, small trees, and other plants that are right up against your home.  Roots can become a big problem as things grow and can even cause plumbing issues.  

Choose a Mulch

I hate the idea of putting down new mulch each year or so and because of that, the garden beds on 3 of the 4 sides of our home are all stone mulch.  I can still plant things and use containers to garden but the upkeep is so much easier.  I don't have to spend time pulling weeds like I would in dirt mulched beds and I also don't have to worry about adding new mulch each year. For us this makes sense because our soil isn't the greatest and certain sides of the house don't get enough shade and sun combination to keep things alive.  

Keep It Simple and Let It Grow

You have to remember that the things you plant will grow. Instead of crowding a garden bed right away with tons of plants, let it look sparse at first. By the end of the growing season everything will have grown tall and wide.

Choose Native

This is a great idea especially with the let it grow tip above because native plants that are perennials come back year after year so eventually you won't have to add new things every season and you can just enjoy the look of full garden beds. 

Get on a Maintenance Schedule

When you do the work of removing what you don't want in your yard, you're left with what will be permanent and you can establish an annual schedule and routine for maintenance.  Write down a schedule of what months you'll fertilize, what months you need to prune certain shrubs, and pick a day every week to walk around your yard and pull invasive weeds from your garden beds.   

Keep It Simple

Instead of adding a ton of garden statues, just pick a pole for birdhouses and feeders.  Give back to your local wildlife.  It's much better on the eyes than any garden decor ever could be.  Use things from your yard as decor too.  Instead of putting a metal or plastic border to keep the ground cover out of the one part of my bed that I plant herbs, I used large rocks I found and made a border myself.  I also have used smaller tree branches to create little fence boards around the edges of our yard. 

Keeping your yard simple makes it much easier to maintain and it's very rewarding to enjoy your hard work once the initial work is done.

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