Landscaping Your Second Home
Time spent in the garden is meant to alleviate stress not add to it. So when you’ re ready to start landscaping around your second home, consider the time crunch. Even the most passionate gardener can use a break from weeding, watering, and planting. To get the most out of your time and garden, keep it low-maintenance.
Hit the Road and the Library
Before digging in, take a good look around your neighborhood to see if there are any gardens you particularly like. Take note of the plants, shrubs, trees, and even the shape. If you are feeling really outgoing, ring the doorbell and ask the owners about their garden. You might learn some great tips about the plants that do well in that region and how to outsmart the pests that frequent the area. Best of all, you get to meet your new neighbors. Don’t forget to also check out the gardening sections at the library and local bookstore.
Smart Plant Selection
There are endless plants to choose from; however, the local nursery is the best guide to the plants that are reliable and problem-free for your area. The nursery can also provide helpful information about your climate’s effect on a particular plant species, which plants grow well in your area, what the mature plant size will be, bloom time, and general care. The nursery can also point you in the direction of reliable landscape designers and maintenance crews.
Here are some other considerations:
- If deer are a problem in your neighborhood and you don’t have a fence or a dog, only consider deer resistant plants.
- Disease resistant plants, dwarf varieties, or plants that need little pruning may cut down your maintenance time.
- Go Native—ask the local nursery about plants that are native to your area. You’ll find that these varieties are the best adapted plants to your climate, soil-type, and garden predators.
- Choose hardy perennials that require little division or deadheading and can withstand summer heat and drought.
- Shrubs and trees provide visual interest without much effort.
- If you’re planting annuals, let some go to seed so that they will return again next year.
- Before planting, it is important to amend the soil with the appropriate nutrients, so the plants get the best start possible.
Container Gardening
If you are lucky enough to inherit mature landscaping, but still feel the need to get your hands dirty, consider container gardens. Pots offer the gardener the chance to indulge in gardening without the hassle of tending a large plot of land. Containers also make it easy to experiment with many varieties of plants, keep the soil nutrient rich, and protect the plants from pesky deer. The downside of containers (especially clay pots) is that they dry out quickly. Remember to plant in as big of a container as possible because the smaller the container, the more quickly the soil will dry out. Try to keep your pots close to your water source. If you use your vacation home relatively infrequently, a drip system on a timer is a must. An alternative is to make friends with your neighbors and loan them the plants while you are gone.
If the idea of clay pots sounds too contained, you might try raised beds. Raised beds are another low maintenance option for your vacation home. They can be built in many shapes and sizes. In addition to easy weeding and soil care, raised beds offer the gardener lots of creative freedom. If gophers, moles, and voles are problematic, line the bottom of the beds with hardware cloth, which protects the tender roots of the plants.
Weeding, Mulching, Watering, & Fertilizing
Making your garden low-maintenance begins when you prepare the soil. Pull all the weeds, including the roots, and amend each planting hole with fertilizer or compost. You may consider placing a layer of cardboard or weed cloth around your new plants to help keep the weeds down. You can then cover the entire garden with mulch, which is also a very effective weed deterrent. In addition, it helps reduce water evaporation and gives the garden a neat appearance. Install a drip-irrigation system on a timer. This is a must, especially for second home owners who don’t occupy their houses year-round. Drip irrigation, which sends water to a localized spot, also minimizes weed growth.
Last Thoughts
Landscaping is the number one value-adder to the resale of any house, so don’t overlook this ever-so important aspect of your home. It can also be the number one value-adder to your vacation lifestyle, if you remember that gardening is something to enjoy not a chore.