Expert gardening tips

Building and keeping a lovely garden can take a lot of work. But there are a few things you can keep in mind to help make your gardening efforts easier. Here are some expert gardening tips.

• Over-fertilizing your garden with chemical fertilizers can cause excess leaf and stem growth and even burn your plants.
• Never apply more than the recommended amount of fertilizer.
• Instead of just relying on fertilizers to make your plants look good, concentrate on proper soil preparation to give your plants a healthy growing foundation.
• Work in about 5 to 10 centimetres (2 to 4 inches) of compost in the top 20 to 30 centimetres (8 to 12 inches) of soil.
• This amazing material improves drainage in clay soils and increases water-holding capacity in sandy soils.

• Lawns that are nutrient-stressed are a breeding ground for weeds, so the best defence is a healthy lawn.
• Test the soil to see what type and quantity of fertilizer are needed to help your lawn.
• Proper fertilization improves lawn health, so grass can compete better and crowd out weeds — without a lot of weed killer.

• Ground covers are an easy way to soften rock features and patios or to control erosion on slopes.
• If the soil's good, kill the existing vegetation and leave it in place on the slope to stabilize the bank and serve as mulch.
• Then plant through the layer of dead material.
• Add another layer of shredded bark or other mulch after planting to conserve moisture and reduce weed problems while your ground cover becomes established.

• Protect tree roots that are exposed at the surface of your yard.
• Wounds in tree roots from lawn mowers allow insects and disease to move in.
• However, you shouldn't just bury exposed roots in soil.
• Put mulch around the root area instead.
• A 5 to 10 centimetre (2 to 4 inch) layer of wood chips or shredded bark protects the roots and creates a good growing environment.
• Planting grass right up to a tree trunk is a common practice, but it's not good for the tree because grass and trees compete for water and nutrients.
• The tree will be healthier and grow faster if you put a 1 to 1.2 metre (3 to 4 foot) border of mulch around it instead of grass.

Remember these expert gardening tips and you'll have an easier time building up and keeping a lovely garden.