CREATING A GARDEN 

Wouldn’t it be exciting to create a new garden or even to redo your existing one?  It might cost you a bit of money and some physical work, but you would enjoy doing it, and the end result would bring you no end of pleasure.

It’s rather quite simple.  Design the layout, prepare the beds and select appropriate plants. 

LAYOUT

To design the layout, use a plan of your property.      If you don’t have one, take some measurements and make a sketch of the grounds in relation to your house.  A plan gives you an overview of your property, making it easier for you to decide on the shapes and sizes of beds and where to place trees and other garden features.

Most home gardens need to give the feeling of spaciousness, so avoid placing trees in the middle of the lawn; use freeform beds to soften the restrictive, straight lines of the property; and keep water features within the beds.

PREPARING BEDS

Once you have decided on the locations of the beds, use a garden hose or rope to outline their borders.  Remove any plants growing within these areas, leaving any larger ones that would fit into the new landscape.  If you would like to reuse any of those that you remove, keep them in the shade, either in buckets of water or with their roots wet and covered until the beds are prepared.  The remaining plants can be potted, given away or placed into your compost heap.

You then remove about a foot and a half of soil within the the bedding areas, and sift it using a ¾” to 1” wire mesh sifter. This loosens the soil and removes stones and other debris.

To the sifted soil, mix in equal amounts of manure  and compost  or bagasse, or manure and coconut fibrebast, peat moss or coco peat.  Before placing the mix into the beds, check and see if there are any plants with invasive roots such as palms   and heliconias abutting the prepared areas.  If there are, create a barrier using galvanize sheeting cut 18” high and place it between the roots and the soil.

Because there is now a new, well prepared growing mix in the beds, it will be easy to put in the plants; no new soil will be required and the planting holes need only be large enough to accommodate the root balls of the plants.

To finish the beds, use small rocks, slates, bricks or  other material to outline them and to prevent damage from weed whackers and other edging implements.

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If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt

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