The New Year ushers in new beginnings. You may have already made your New Year’s resolution for 2022 – which may include eating right, taking care of your mind and body, working out more, or taking care of your mental peace (owing to the global pandemic, it’s now more than necessary that you do so!). 

But what about caring for your environment? As arborists, we’re passionate about trees, so we’ve made a New Year’s resolution to help our clients take better care of them. You see, gardens provide a certain sense of comfort—giving us an avenue to seek refuge because, especially at a time the world continues to be unpredictable. With more green spaces, we can at least be confident that they, no matter how large or tiny, will always offer us serenity, inspiration, joy, and, just maybe, even home-grown food for our salads. 

So, here are our backyard gardening tips for 2022. Feel free to go with the ones that suit your lifestyle. Don’t forget to share with your friends. Let’s dig right in!

Try creating a 2022 gardening journal

Take more pictures and create a gardening journal for 2022 to keep track of your garden’s progress, especially during the growing season. You’ll love looking back at all the progress of the plants you catered to from seedling until full adult growth.

Keep taking snapshots of your yard from the same vantage point on the first day of each month, and continue so till the year ends. That way you might end up having a wonderful photo book documenting your garden’s progress, and use them for decorating your home. It’s quite therapeutic really. You can track your progress with your smartphone if you’re not a fan of putting your words and photos on paper.

Organise your tools

It’s easy to chuck your gardening gloves or pruners in your garage’s back corner, but you might end up wasting a few hours finding them back when you need them. Make a commitment this year to keep them in a specific place (preferably a place where you can remember) and to keep them in good condition, by cleaning them and keeping them away from moist surroundings that cause rust. If your tools are always in good shape, you’ll be able to take better care of your garden. You get to save more money too. 

Reduce the size of your lawn

Start utilising your garden space in smarter ways. For example, you can replace a certain section of the grass with shrubs, perennials, or even vegetables. That way you’ll spend less time and money on maintenance, use less water during droughts, and re-seeding in the spring and autumn.

You can get started with it right away by dying a patch of your grass organically. Start by choosing a grassy spot and cover it with old manure and compost. By spring, the area should be ready for planting and mulching.

Take care of pests

Whether you live in New Zealand or not, your backyard may often get surprise visits from those pesky rats, bugs, squirrels or grow unwanted weeds. So, be prepared!

Check on weeds that may keep sprouting on a regular basis and uproot them as early as possible, so as not to affect your other plants. 

Areas where vegetables are grown attract pest infestation, so make sure to fence the area before planting the seeds. Since certain plant species are more pest-prone than others, do your research before introducing a new plant to your yard. You can also seek guidance from pest control professionals for advice for backyard gardening tips and on how to keep your yard pest-free.

Join a gardening club

There are gardeners who’d love to share their botanical interests with you. Share your love of gardening with them, encourage people to start gardening, learn new backyard gardening tips from professionals, keep up with 2022 garden trends, and have fun while doing so. You can make new friends as well. 

There are many garden clubs in New Zealand that also work on meaningful projects like beautifying parks, roadsides, and deserted areas. So you can spend part of your free time doing something valuable for the community. Some might even offer lessons in floral design, landscaping, or organic gardening.

Be more water-conscious

This stands as one of the major backyard garden tips. Unless you or your spouse work for the weather department It’s not possible to guess if this year will have a sufficient amount of rain or not. Instead, when it comes to water usage, take the necessary measures. This might mean installing a smart irrigation controller and replacing outdated and/or inefficient spray heads with drip irrigation.

Using mulch can be a good call since it helps keep moisture in the soil for your plants – so you can cover any bare soil with at least a 2-inch layer of mulch. Also, consider filling your garden with local plants as they’ll thrive better in your environmental conditions, without using up a lot of watering or care.

Go local

Time to simplify your life. As mentioned briefly previously, choose your flowers, shrubs and trees that are available locally since they easily adapt to your soil and environment. They are easier to grow and can thrive without the use of pesticides or fertilisers. They also tend to adapt better than hybrids and non-natives due to difficult environmental conditions such as droughts or harsh winters. These native plants also become a source of food and habitat for birds and beneficial insects.

Create a compost bin

This is a golden gardening tip. Get rid of toxic chemicals and replace them with organic compost. Making garden compost does not need a big space. Many composters are available at the size of a patio grill at garden centres or on online portals, and they can transform kitchen scraps, leaves, or yard trash into nutrient-rich material for your potted or in-ground plants.

Leave grass clipping on your lawn

By leaving grass clippings on your lawn, you are providing much-needed moisture and nutrients to the soil in your yard. Without the use of expensive chemical fertilisers, leaves tend to decompose over time and provide nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to the soil. You’ll be saving time and effort by using this simple backyard gardening tip, instead of bagging your yard.

It may also save up to 20% of your household garbage from going to the landfill. Grass clippings are free, and grasscycling might eliminate the need for chemical fertilisers completely.

Grow indoor plants

Your passion for gardening shouldn’t be limited to the outdoors. Greening a space, enhancing moods, raising oxygen levels indoors, and adding an aesthetic design appeal are just a few of the benefits of indoor plants—especially if you’re living in an apartment without a garden. 

With a little knowledge of houseplants, you can find a green companion for every sunny corner and empty nook in your home. It can also help you stay tuned in with nature and surround yourself with fresh green life.

Try a new project

It’s part of the fun to try something new in the garden, whether it’s a weekend project like making your own concrete planters or sprucing up your garden beds with some eye-catching edging.

Perhaps you’d want to make your own trellis or a patio out of broken bricks? You can find some inspiration on Pinterest or YouTube and feel a sense of pride after the project is complete. 

Garden more often

Make your 2022 resolution simple: spend more time outdoors and appreciate your green spaces. Hand weeding, planting, trimming, or just appreciating your plants are all options. Spending only 20 minutes a day outdoors amongst nature is a natural de-stressor. 

So make it a point to literally wake up and smell the flowers every now and then. Take a few moments to study the birds and butterflies at work, while enjoying your morning coffee. Sometimes just observing can be very soothing. You’ll be able to appreciate all of your hard work more if you can make your outdoor area a pleasant and relaxing place.

Call our experts if you need help with tree trimming, pruning or maintenance in Canterbury.