GARDENING ON THE RUN
Do you garden on the run? Come home from work, turn on the sprinklers, set the timer and start dinner. On weekends you tell yourself you are going to pull weeds and plant your summer flowers that have been acclimating to your environment in your side yard… Deadheading*gets done in the fall if you’re lucky or in a panic if someone is coming over for a bar-b-cue. Let’s face it, with work, family obligations, errands and maintaining our homes, gardening ranks next to last. This is not a choice but a fact of our life style. So, what do you do?
Well one option is to hire a gardening service “mow and blow” crew. I hate the term but that is what most services do and if you don’t monitor them you will end up with either square or round shrubs; let’s not even talk about what might happen to your landscape trees. But sometimes just getting the lawn mowed will free up enough time for you to get to other landscape needs; in my opinion having your lawn mowed is money well spent. Another option is low-maintenance gardens…low maintenance for the gardener.
One big change you can make is to install an automated watering system. This is worth the investment in time and money – once you install automated sprinklers, you will ask yourself, “Why didn’t I do this sooner.” Another plus to automated watering systems is efficiency; you will be able to water your entire garden in less time using less water. You can do it yourself – it will mean sacrificing several weekends and getting very dirty – but if you enjoyed tinker toys when you were young you will love connecting PVC pipes. Take pictures or make a simple sketch of your garden and visit a irrigation supply shop, they will outfit you with pipes, joints, glue, nozzles, drippers, sprinkler heads and clocks – start digging and before you know it you will be running through the sprinklers. Or, hire a landscape company to install the system.
Create a strong foundation garden, shrubs and trees that offer seasonal color. Keep annuals in pots – don’t plant large beds of annuals! Plant drought tolerant perennials, divide perennials in the fall and spread the plants throughout your garden. Use bulbs to add seasonal interest – plant once and let them multiply; they will bring years of beautiful color. Don’t forget hardscape; installing a patio or deck can sometimes be the best solution. “Non-plant” areas add dimension and interest as well as creating a focal point. If this sounds like a lot of work – it is, but once done you can sit back and enjoy the “fruits of your labor”.
These simple suggestions also apply to your pots when you are installing your sprinkler system install some drippers to your pots. Fill your pots with a boarder of annuals and place a one-gallon perennial in the center. Large pots will make a greater impact than a series of small pots.
Don’t forget to mulch. Mulch will make your garden look clean and neat and help to keep moisture in the ground during the hot summer and help to keep down the weeds. If you only have time to fertilize once do it in the fall. Actually fall is the best time to get all these projects done; the weather is cooler, good for the gardener and the garden.
Planning ahead will make gardening easier and mean fewer weekends committed to gardening jobs. Be practical. Assess your time and skill level along with your budget and decide what you can do and which jobs would be best done by a professional. Even if gardening is your passion, or the way you relax, taking care of the maintenance issues will free up your time for the gardening projects you enjoy and you won’t be gardening on the run. 
