This could also be entitled,
Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started my English Garden.
Thing Number One:
Mulch
I've been ignoring this advice for years,
and only recently mulched my flower beds.
My reasoning was that I loved the look and feel of soil.
The problem with my reasoning besides the obvious stubbornness?
I couldn't see the soil for the weeds.
I would have had to be out there weeding 24/7 to keep it pristine.
It isn't a magic cure-all, but it will help.
I used dark bark to get the look of soil, and it is lovely.
And another thing...do your mulching in the fall.
I did mine in the spring and had a terrible time
not suffocating the new plants.
Thing Number Two:
Before accepting perennials from other gardeners,
make sure they don't have any obnoxious ground covers in their garden
that you don't want in yours.
Because I guarantee you,
they will take over your garden.
Even if you don't see any in the root system,
they will come.
And even if you mulch, they'll still show up.
I am currently fighting two different ground covers in mine
from doing this very thing.
I wish I would have just spent the $5.99 at the nursery
and not have this battle on my hands.
Thing Number Three:
Do Not Plant a Lilac in your Flower Bed
It was truly lovely for the first three years.
But since then, it takes great delight in sending up suckers,
so many that if feels impossible to snip them all.
Some of them are a good twelve feet away from the bush.
If you must have a lilac,
and I really think you must,
plant it where you won't care about suckers.
This is just a small sampling of tips.
I could go on, but I'll save them for another day.
I hope this helps all the bright-eyed beginners out there,
and maybe a few stubborn old ones like yours truly!
In the meantime, Happy Gardening!
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