Inspirations

Weekend Projects

July is the peak of the summer garden season – vegetables and fruit trees are producing, summer flowers are in full bloom, and your entire property shows the effect of bright sunshine and long, warm days. If you’re like us, you’re also starting to think about fun projects to keep the garden fresh through the rest of the season. Here are a few of our favorite weekend projects to help you refresh your landscaping.

Start by sprucing things up and tidying up the garden. Summer weeds are easy to pull and your efforts are longer-lasting than in the spring thanks to the heat. Shrubs and flowers can get out of hand during a long, healthy growing season, so prune unruly bushes and trees for an instant facelift.

It is a common myth that you don’t need to add mulch during the summer. During the hot summer months, mulch can help to keep the soil moist and prevent evaporation, allowing you to avoid watering your trees and shrubs every day. Mulch also helps to prevent weeds so that your weeding will last longer. Edge your beds to keep them neat and tidy and add a layer of mulch to maintain moisture in plant roots and regulate soil temperature.

Once you’ve tidied up and refreshed your landscaping basics, it’s time to have some fun and try some new ideas to create your dream garden! A quick weekend project that really adds wow to your flower beds is the addition of a wall stone wall as bordering. Here’s how:

• Dig a trench a couple of inches deep and wide enough to fit the wall stones.
• Fill with pea gravel and/or sand and tamp to make level.
• Lay out the wall stones to assess their shapes and sizes.
• Stack smaller stones first.
• Save the largest, most attractive wall stones for the top layer.
• Backfill with gravel.

Choose a stone of consistent thickness — any rock that splits into slabs can be used as stone of consistent thickness — any rock that splits into slabs can be used as wall stones. You can also use round river stones or other rocks. Watch this video for tips and more ideas about how to create stone garden edging:

Another way to make the most of your summer garden peak is to create an attractive garden path that will add charm to your landscaping. Using pebbles, flagstones, or a combination of the two, you can easily create a pretty path in a weekend. Try one of these simple to create projects:

• How to Make a Flagstone Path
• Create an Enticing Garden Path

Simple touches of color can really make your summer garden pop. Using colorful pots to plant bright, flowering annuals is a great way to inspire a summery feel. Paint a variety of terra cotta pots with Flex Seal spray paint in lots of different colors, put some gravel in the bottom for drainage and top with high quality WDR compost. Try planting bright zinnias, dahlias, impatiens, pansies, or even herbs and flowering peppers to liven up your summer grilling. Don’t be afraid to include lots of different sizes and shapes to create interest.

There is still plenty of time this summer left for projects – enjoy making the most of your landscaping this weekend!