Whether you’re staying put this December or jetting off as soon as your leave starts, spare a thought for your yard and garden and the possible state they might be in upon your return. Doesn’t really get you more excited about your year-end holiday, does it?
No problem. Just treat your beloved exterior- and interior greens to some TLC before your summer holiday starts…
About a day or two before you’re off, give your grass a nice cut yet avoid the temptation to go too short. As it’s summer, the hot weather can dry out the grass and cause your entire lawn to go brown.
If dry weather is predicted, set your mower blades to ‘high’ to keep your grass from yellowing.
Unless you want to come back home to a garden overrun with weeds, set aside some time to clear out those unwanted greens before you go. It might also be worth it to remove fully open flowers to make room for those younger blooms.
Perhaps one of our professional Gardeners can be trusted for your weeding- and other gardening needs?
If possible, ask a friend or neighbour to keep your garden hydrated while you’re away. Or invest in an automated watering system complete with hoses and timers.
Otherwise, your best bet is to give all your plants a thorough watering before you go and pray for the best!
No friendly neighbour or irrigation system to take care of your potted pretties? How about sinking those containers partway into the ground in an area of your garden that gets comfortable shade? Treat them to a thorough watering, soak the surrounding soil as well, and opt for mulching (with plastic or bark) to help conserve some of the water.
Looking forward to being welcomed by colourful blooms after your holiday? Deadhead your flowering plants (which needs to be done on a regular basis) for healthier growth, continual blooms, and much neater garden beds.
If you’re not planning on staying away too long, we recommend picking some of your kitchen garden goodies, especially runner beans and courgettes. Leaving them in the garden can result in a tough grow, so rather keep them nice and cool in your fridge until you return.
It is crucial that you leave your greenhouse ventilators open (if they’re not automatic) to avoid roasting your plants. In terms of watering, soak the border soil to ensure your crops have adequate moisture while you’re away (if you can’t rely on anyone for regular watering). And remember that potted plants stand a better fighting chance if they’re moved off the staging and sunk into the moist soil.
Your garden’s critters will not be going on holiday, and you need to make your garden as unattractive to them as possible while still keeping it neat and tidy. Thus, rake up those dead flowers and leaves. And if you’re not one for slug pellets, then go with DIY beer traps made from yoghurt pots for an organic solution.
As long as you move your house plants to shadier spots and water them decently before you leave, they should be okay. For smaller pots, we recommend placing them on damp towelling in your bath or sink to up their odds of survival. But should you leave any plants in your bathroom, be sure not to deep-clean your toilet and accidentally kill your potted pretties with bleach fumes.
Don’t tempt those with long fingers while you’re on holiday. Lock up all your gardening equipment in your shed or garage and also consider covering up relevant windows. Better yet, invest in motion-activated security lights to ward off potential thieves even further.
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