Green Cleaning

There is truly life-changing magic in tidying up, decluttering and organizing your garden and outdoor space. And Spring is a perfect time to do a little green cleaning! Here are a few things to consider when taking inventory of your green space:

• Replace that shrub that never blooms with something you’ve always wanted.
• Put up a trellis to plant with some annual vines that can block an ugly view.
• Use plants, fencing, or stone walls to create a boundary or define an outdoor room.
• Thin out and cut back overgrown plants and get rid of those that are past their prime.
• Using a limited color palette for plants and garden furnishings will calm the look of your space.
• Do you really need all those garden decorations? Give some to friends.
• Don’t be too tidy! Leave some messy areas for wildlife.
• Get rid of clutter and trash and keep what you love!

Things get done when you better organize gardening goods. A few suggestions are below:

• If you have a shed, drag everything out, organize the piles, and put it all back inside where you can find things.
• Get all your gardening equipment in one place, sort it out to see what you need more of and what you can let go.
• Organize by category – Pots, trays, labels, twist ties and velcro, stakes, gloves, clippers, twine, reemay, amendments, tools and trowels, etc.
• Dispose of damaged items and find new homes for things you don’t need and will never use.
• Take stock of what you already own so won’t be tempted to buy more of the same.
• Make a list of what you really need to buy or want to replace.
• Gather up seed packets, ditch those that are out of date.
• Garden books and magazines have a way of multiplying. Weed out the books you don’t look at anymore and donate them to your garden club, seed swap, or neighborhood garage sale.

Achieve the gardens of your dreams. When sorting through the stuff, think about usefulness. Does this have a place in my dream garden? Does it spark joy in my life? Hopefully, after a bit of de-cluttering and reorganizing, you will be left with a more orderly life and a garden you will love to spend time in.

Reference material taken from the following sources: The Old Farmer’s Almanac

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