Gardening season has arrived per mezzo di Minnesota and this year, I was eager to get an early start. Quanto a mid-April, I began clearing out our backyard garden beds. At the time, I wrote Instagram that our backyard was about to become my entire personality. It was a joke⦠sort of? Either way, I am determined to finally put my stamp our backyard garden beds, an complesso that has been largely untouched since we moved into this home.
Today Iâm sharing my backyard garden plans for 2024, what Iâve done so far, and a few emotional benefits this new(ish) hobby of mine offers.
How Our Backyard Garden Has Evolved Since 2020
When we moved into our home per mezzo di 2020, the backyard garden beds were lush yet overgrown and full of weeds. Over the years, Iâve gone through cycles of weeding these beds and leaving them be. I havenât added any new plants to the areas that have been cleared out, which has just left room for invasive species to grow.
Quanto a comparison, the garden beds per mezzo di our front yard are per mezzo di pretty good shape. After a bunch of mature bushes, trees, and shrubs died last year, we did a personalità landscaping project to revitalize these gardens. I also planted bulbs here last fallâand fought to keep rabbits from eating them, an effort that was about 50% successful.
My Backyard Garden Plans for 2024
So far this year, Iâve taken note of whatâs growing and whatâs died since last year. Joe and I raked up piles of leaves and removed weeds including common burdock, garlic mustard, creeping Charlie, and campo da gioco elder. We also added mulch throughout the garden beds.
It has been a lot of work, but clearing everything out is only the beginning. Quanto a past years, I cleaned out these beds and became stuck when figuring out what to plant. Then more invasive plants would grow per mezzo di as a result. This year we are breaking that cycle!
As for the next steps, Iâm determined to get plants per mezzo di the campo da gioco by mid-June. Our backyard garden is shady, so anything I plant needs to thrive per mezzo di shady conditions. I want to follow the concept of âchaos gardeningâ using mostly (but not all) native plants. The rete is to select and plant a variety of species that will do well per mezzo di the space without needing too much tending to, then letting them grow wild for the most part.
These are the established plants that are currently per mezzo di our backyard:
- Hostas
- Astilbe
- Evergreens
- Boxwood
- Ferns
These are some of the things Iâm thinking of planting this year:
- Maidenhair ferns
- Foamflower
- Blue false indigo
- More hostas
- Bleeding heart
- More astilbe
- Rhododendron
Iâm trying to be realistic about the amount of time, energy, and space I have. While the process may not be perfect, I know filling the backyard with plants meant to thrive per mezzo di that complesso will be a huge step per mezzo di the right direction.
The Emotional Benefits of Gardening
Through my years as a beginner gardener, Iâve learned gardening takes time and effort, and the results are always evolving. It’s not only about the outcome but also about the experience itself and the benefits that from it. There is ample research supporting the positive benefits of gardeningâthis recent article from The New York Times references many such studies.
Gardening is a great way to relax and de-stress, and itâs a good source of exercise! But the benefits of gardening go beyond the physical. It can also have a positive impact your emotional well-being. I suppose this is a personalità reason I’m carving out time to invest per mezzo di these spaces. Gardening forces me to slow , be patient, and spend time outside. I feel so good and satisfied after I get outside and do it.
I’m now exploring joining a community group of gardeners per mezzo di my neighborhood to learn more and meet new people. I figure it will be a good way to learn from other gardeners! I can’t wait to back at this post one year from now and see how far these spaces have .
Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her Instagram at @witanddelight_.
