Some borders and beds that were planted last year or longer ago might start looking a little tired and bedraggled which can be especially frustrating on the bigger ones when so much time, money and effort were put into them to begin with. The task of doing it all over again can be overwhelming and so it's easy just to give them a quick tidy and try to forget about them. There are a number of easy fixes, however, to make them look brand new and give them back their gleam for each season. Here I will give a few tips on what to do.
Most beds contain at least one largish shrub, Choisya, Weigela, Camelia, Hebe, Lavender etc. The main trick with these guys is to give them a generous cut back after they have flowered, going easy on them if they're not well established. Certainly for the Lavender and the Hebe this is very important as it will prevent overreaching woody growth, keep them bushier and encourage more flowering.
If you have established shrubs that are overgrown and taking over the bed don't be afraid to cut them right back, just be sure to leave a little growth and bud so that it can come back again.
No doubt you will have gaps from plants that were either annuals that didn't seed, failed during the winter or from disease. If they died due to disease it's advisable to dig the soil out from where they were and put in new soil to prevent the infection of any new plant being introduced. It's also worth taking note of any plants that might not be doing very well and seeing if repositioning them might help, a Hosta getting too little water might be swapped out with a Salvia that's getting too much for example.
You might find that some plants have done far too well and have taken over the area a few of the Geranium varieties are notorious for this, Geranium Rozanne for example can go wild when it's in perfect conditions. If you have this problem you should use it to your advantage. Dig them up from areas you don't want them and move them to where you do, they can make excellent gifts for friends when potted up too!. If you are afraid of them spreading you can plant them in pots beneath the soil line to stop it from happening again. When removing over eager plants try and get as much of the root as possible as they will keep popping up if left.
All borders have an edge, whether it be grass, gravel, rock or wood. The edge of the border looking clean can make a huge difference to the look of the bed itself. If it's grass get a spade or grass edger such as the Eagle Lawn Edger with D grip and make nice clean lines against the bed. If it's bordering gravel make sure there's a gap line between the bed and the gravel line.
Finally mulch. Mulch is your best friend when it comes to having to make an old bed look new. It smothers any weeds you may have missed and also will hold on to moisture in the warmer months. . A good quality bark mulch such as Second Harvest Landscape Wood Mulch spread generously on beds and around the base of trees can make any garden look freshly planted.
So there's no need to start from scratch if your beds have gotten a little tired looking, just a quick spruce and they can look like new again :)
