Keeping Gardens Alive and Healthy

A garden is not just a plot of land. It is a living space, full of activity:  roots going down, branches going up, sunlight being turned into energy, plant hormones sending their messages to grow, grow, grow. Keeping gardens alive is a process the gardener needs to be fully part of. In a sense, a gardener is an accessory to the garden, not the cause.

But, of course, the garden needs the gardener to thrive. And the gardener can’t do it with bare hands. Garden accessories, even ones as simple as a watering can or garden stakes, are necessary to help the garden reach its fullest potential. There are low-maintenance gardens, where all one needs to do is water and weed somewhat consistently, and there are high-maintenance gardens that require lots of time and specialized equipment.

General Accessories Needed for Good Gardens

Some plants will need specialize gardening tools, but there are a few basics that every gardener needs to have. Clippers and pruning shears are essential. Pruning your perennials, shrubs, and trees prior to the first burst of the growing seasons ensues that the garden will get new good growth and that the plants will take and keep the desired form. If parts of the plants have died over the winter, cutting back the dead growth keeps the plant alive and growing. Dead-heading flowers during the growing season will keep the plants producing more flowers.

Weeding tools are also important accessories. Some weeds can come out by hand, but most will require the gardener to dig. Sometimes a trowel will do the job, but a specialized weeder with a forked tip that catches the weed by the roots is often more efficient. For really entrenched or invasive weeds, the gardener might need to use a shovel. Obviously this is a rather heavy-handed accessory, and it would be better not to let things get that far. Your plants will thank you for basic, regular care.

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