Five Steps to a More Beautiful Garden

by LIsA CuLLen

As we are hunkering down, dreaming of an El Niño that will fill our reservoirs and rivers with water and our mountains with snow, it’s a good time to plan for spring. Here are my five steps to take now for a more beautiful garden.

1. Assess your Assets. What are your garden’s assets? You have to look for them. When there is a break in the rain, pull on your “Wellies” and take a stroll through your property. Best to take a note pad with you so you can jot down your observations. Look at your garden as if for the first time and decide what is “working” and what isn’t. Every property has assets. Yours could include the location, mature trees, a rose garden or courtyard. Whatever you find, write it down.

2. Editing. Sometimes all a garden needs is a bit of editing to come into its own. What to edit is pretty obvious now that you have done step number one of looking. Get rid of anything that isn’t contributing to the overall picture and you will have made an immediate improvement. After the removal step is complete, lay down mulch. Any organic material will do.