Last year my toddler and I tried to create our very first garden. I had grandiose ideas of flowers of all kinds and colors sprouting up at our little lake house. Of course Pinterest was the inspiration, it gets me every time.
I planted hoards of flowers along the house including some of my favorites like Gladiolas, Peonies, Lillies, Daisies and even sunflowers. Things went downhill from there. Including numerous out of town trips, where my flower seeds parched in the dry sun.
Of course neither did I fertilize, nor actually feed the plants.
As a result we had one solitary, brave little Lily sprout from the ground. And while I did water it lovingly, it only took one shake of a dogs tail to destroy the precious pedals. I never even got a chance to add mulch, not that I would have thought of it if I had.
This year I’m determined for things to be different.
I’ve compiled my list (I’m a big fan of lists) of gardening supplies, including:
- Fertilizer
- Plant Food
- Quality Soil
- Mulch
- Compost
- Adorable pots to place flowers
- A watering can (preferably a cute color)
I’ve learned that there is so much more to gardening than flowers, water, earth and sunlight.
According to the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County, “While it is true that eucalyptus leaves do have some toxicity, the research shows that well composted eucalyptus leaves pose no problem when used as a mulch or when mixed at appropriate quantities into a growing medium. The research also concluded that fresh eucalyptus leaves were shown to be a good weed suppressant when applied to a depth of 4 inches (10cm).”
Use of organic mulches (like eucalyptus) can provide a ton of benefits to your garden and overall home landscaping. While some like to use mulch as a decorative way to separate garden or flower areas from their grass or lawn, it is also helpful in reducing soil loss to wind and water erosion.
Mulch can also help with temperature moderation and it adds precious organic materials to poor soil as they decompose.
And of course our favorite benefit – mulches are a fantastic way to suppress weeds.
If you can find it, we like Scotts Nature Scapes mulch. It’s a natural forest product that comes in a variety of textures and 3 colors. It also helps maintain moisture, prevent weeds and helps your garden flourish. Both options are a no brainer for sustainable gardening.
So do I have everything? Let’s hope so because I’ve started to accumulate plants here and there. No more will my yard be a barren wasteland, I am determined to be successful.
Have I missed anything? Feel free to leave me your green thumb tips!
I hope your garden has fared well by now! Do let us know!
My family loves gardening! A house without some sort of garden in our book just isn’t a house. My grandparents grew their garden around a plain old shabby house and turned that house and garden into beauty over many many years :) I love their house and hope to carry on their tradition. I loved some of the ideas you have!