You’ll need these handy gardening tips if you are tired of looking over the fence at your neighbor’s beautifully laid out and flourishing garden?

Well, there’s probably a reason why her lawn looks a lot nicer than your overgrown patch of land, with more brambles and thistles than actual flowers. It’s because she doesn’t need handy gardening tips.

You need to spend more time outdoors to bring a sense of style to your garden that will make your neighbors green with envy for a change. Here are some practical and handy gardening tips that won’t take too much effort, but will give you fantastic looking results.

Brighten up your undesirables

Flowers brighten up any garden, but if you have forgotten to plant them within season, there are other ways to add a bit of color to your lawn. Grab some paint or highlighter pens, and give your stones and pebbles a burst of color.

Use your artistic pieces of rubble as a rockery, or use them as impromptu garden markers. Then give your fence a fresh coat of paint, using a bright color to add a bit of pop, and hang some planters on your fence and stone walls to add some cheer to previously dull looking areas.

Don’t skimp on the mulch

Mulch is used to retain moisture in the soil and keep weeds at bay, so if you want a flourishing garden, you don’t want to forego it. However, various mulches can be used, and many of them can add a pleasing aesthetic style to your garden bed, as well as providing nourishment.

So, instead of using the traditional grass clippings and compost, consider using pine bark and red wood chips instead, which look good, and are great all-rounders for a variety of seasonal situations.

Also see our article on how to properly use earthworm castings in your garden.

Think outside of the box

Your neighbor may have all the gardening supplies money can buy, but if you don’t have the cash to stock up on the essentials, you can be resourceful and use items from around your household.

As examples, use cardboard toilet paper rolls as seedling pots, an old water bottle as a sprinkler or watering can, and milk jugs to protect your plants.

You can make eco-friendly plant pots using old newspaper or egg shells, and grow a herb garden in any spare wooden or plastic boxes you can find in your home.

Group your plants

For greater impact in your garden, group plants and flowers of the same color. You will need to plan ahead and prepare for the following season, but when the time comes, you will have attractive bursts of color around your lawn.

For added impact, add another color around the borders to frame your floral picture, and add similarly colored garden ornaments (including homemade ones) to complement the scenery.

Avoid clutter

No, we aren’t talking about tidying up the debris scattered around the garden, though you really should. Rather, consider adding a vertical garden to avoid an abundance of plants on your lawn space.

This will give your outdoor space a tidier appearance, while adding character to your vertical areas, such as walls and railings. There are some great ideas on Pinterest that are sure to evoke envy in your neighbors.

Finally

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. With a little bit of effort and some handy gardening tips, you can create a garden space that you can be proud of, rather than huddling indoors afraid of your neighbours withering glare!