Life & Work

Breathe new life to that dead backyard

garden

Adding features that create a focal point to your garden like metallic sculptures or a water feature give gardens a new lease of life. PHOTO | FILE

It’s normal to get tired of the colour on our walls, the faded look of the sideboard, dining table and even the sofa set that were brand new when you moved into your home more than 10 years ago.

It is in our human nature to want something different after a period of seeing the same furniture and interior décor year in year out.

When the home change bug hits, the result is usually repainted walls, furniture moved around the house, replacement of all the rugged looking bits and pieces and a re-upholstery of the sofas that you do not want to get rid of because you have grown too attached to them.

That is how most people give their home a new lease of life. But what do you do with an unkempt, ugly-looking backyard that has replaced your once vibrant garden which was the envy of friends and family a few years ago?

Having a makeover for your garden will not only enhance the overall appearance of your home but also give you back the confidence to host barbecues and other family events in your backyard.

Television shows like “Design a Garden” and “A-Z of Gardening” give glimpses of just how beautiful your garden can be if well-planned and looked after. But just how do you actualise what you have seen and admired in your own compound?

Remodelling

Remodelling your garden can be a partial or radical job depending on the change you feel is necessary for your home.

It can be as simple as adding a few fresh plants and removing the old withered ones, to a more drastic move of layering new grass throughout the lawn and adding different features.

Edwin of Eden Gardening and Landscaping Ltd says how the garden is renovated depends on what the individual wants and how much money you have to spend on it.

“There are many reasons why one may want to have a garden makeover. You might be having a good lawn but which over the years you have left unattended or the dry season may have left yellow patches on your landscaped lawn that are unsightly,” he says

Growing weeds

In some cases, the garden simply becomes neglected because your gardener left and you haven’t found an ideal replacement. Other times, you may be too busy that you no longer have the time to tend to the growing weeds in the garden.

“A tired lawn is one that has unkempt grass, overgrown weeds and flower bushes that look like shaggy hair but this can quickly be transformed with a bit of spring cleaning, where you get rid of the weeds and do a bit of pruning of all the flowers and plants,” explains Edwin.

With new better looking and faster growing varieties of grass cropping up every so often, replacing the yellow stubs is much simpler depending on what you want.

Complete re-layering of the grass can be a costly experience especially if the area to be covered is expansive and you are working with a tight budget becaue it means removing all the grass, putting in new soil and planting or layering the grass.

An alternative, Edwin advises, would be to use a selective herbicide on the dried out patches and plant new grass in its place.

“There are various kinds of grass to use. Some that do not do  well in  direct sun and have to be planted under the trees. We recommend Arabica and Zimbabwe grass which are long-lasting and hardy,” he says.

Aesthetic Value

A bag of Arabica grass costs about Sh3,500 while a bag of Zimbabwe will set you back between Sh1,500 and Sh2,000. Even though Arabica is more expensive, Edwin says its aesthetic value cannot be compared to Zimbabwe.

Adding top dressing to cover the whole lawn will ensure that there are enough nutrients to revitalise both the old grass and new.
“Where there are grown plants, you can refurbish them by digging around the area and adding some manure and fertiliser then creating a clear border from the rest of the lawn. With enough water, it will soon be as good as new,” he says.

In instances where you had planted ground cover flowers previously, you might need to thin out the bushes where they have overgrown and plant some more where they have dried out.

Another way of breathing life into your ‘dead’ garden is to accessorize it either by bringing brightly coloured pots or adding features that create a focal point to your garden like metallic sculptures or a water feature.

Ponds, waterfalls and fountains whether large or small can bring the feeling of being in the wild right into your backyard not just with the sounds of gushing water but also with the birds and other wildlife that will be attracted to the water source.

Right Budget

Edwin says that while revitalising your garden can take time for one to realize the desired results, there are instances where quick transformations can be made with the right budget.

“Some clients may have a function in a day or two and they want their garden looking perfect which means bringing in already cut grass and re-layering the whole place afresh as well as planting mature flowers and plants,” he says.

This can be costly, for instance transforming a 50 by 100 garden with mature cut grass that costs Sh75 per square foot can cost up to Sh500,000 compared to renovating a similar piece of land with strategies that take time to bear fruit which can cost as little as Sh20,000.

The hardest challenge in remodelling a garden, he says, involves plants with sentimental value to clients. This requires working around the plants to see which new ones can blend with it.

“When it comes to landscaping, maintenance is paramount. You might invest a lot of money in revitalising your garden but if you forget to prune, weed and water often, it you will be back to square one in no time. You can get an expert to come in from time to time,” Edwin advises.

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