There is nothing more relaxing after an exhausting day at work than to spend some time in nature. Unfortunately, living in a large city, or any other urban environment, prevents us from doing that. Taking a long ride to park is sometimes simply impossible. It’s not impossible though to build your very own Paradise within your backyard. Just think of the endless hours of joy you can spend there with your friends and the most loved ones. Although it seems like rather demanding task, creating garden is not that hard if you know right directions. So, here are some basic guidelines you should follow.
Planting Order
You can’t have a garden without plants, right? Key to successful gardening is to take a slow route and don’t be overly ambitious, especially if you are not experienced in this area. Gardening is a time-demanding process, so before you waste all of you resources and will into something you are not too sure about, start small, see what works and what not, and build up your garden from that foundation. First, go with big things, as trees or bushes. You will fit flowers easier, once they are out of the table. Trees are especially recommended because they will provide you shade, keep you out of neighbors’ ever-curious eyes and treat you with fruits if maintained well. Be aware that some plants can’t exist next to each other and take your city’s climate into equation before planting.
Choosing the Right Pavers and Décor
Aside from being useful, pavers create very appealing visual effect. That’s why you should avoid going the most common way and pour concrete there. It’s not beautiful, nor very useful, because it’s easily cracked and stained. In a recent chat with highly-rated suppliers of clay pavers, it was brought to my attention that this material is very hard-wearing and can last for hundreds of year. Clay is natural paving material, without any trace of additives, and it’s simply beautiful to look at. It blends perfectly with natural environment and emits very organic and warm vibe.
Another commonly used material is gravel and it’s obvious to see why. Gravel is very cheap but, on the other side it known for weeding horribly if not maintained. Other popular choices are sandstone and limestone. If you want complete visual experience, you can accompany pavers with the little puddle of water or fountain, which can be very relaxing to ears too. Be ready to fight some bugs and mosquitoes if you go this way.
Picking the Right Furniture
Style of the furniture you are going to buy largely depends of what you made out of your garden. There is still one style that always work with naturalistic environments and that’s the wooden furniture. This is also a great opportunity to work out your DIY muscles. Even if you haven’t mastered the carpentry skill yet, you can create serviceable bench, table or few chairs. They don’t even have to look perfect. Beauty of wooden furniture that’s little off and asymmetric is that they look more natural this way and thus blend perfectly into garden. If your trees are close enough, hammock is a must-do.
Proper Upkeep
Without regular maintenance, you will waste your money and effort and end up with a jungle instead of a garden. Plants need to be tended to, your fruits protected from diseases and invaders, fountain cleaned, grass mown and replanted if you have some grassless spots. Keep the weeds from the pavers and do all of these small tasks whenever you can to prevent some serious chores from pilling-up.
All you have to do now is to enjoy your little paradise and to be sure that it’s maintained properly. Nobody likes commitments but this one is worthy. Few hours of work per week are much better than a dream of paradise lost.
