July 16, 2023, 10:26 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Not everyone has a green thumb. Two gardening experts reveal how to learn to better understand your plants and then intuitively care for them.
The garden is freshly laid out. The professional gardeners with excavators and wheelbarrows have withdrawn. Now the lawn is growing, shrubs and perennials are developing well. But–what now? What needs to be done and what is good for the plants? How does one acquire a green thumb?
Developing a Sense for the Right Timing
The good news: Plants often show what they need. “Caring means putting yourself in the plants’ shoes and understanding them,” says Anja Maubach, a perennial gardener and garden designer from Wuppertal. Her advice: rely on your gut feeling while also engaging with the plants. “This way, you learn to sense whether pruning is necessary or if densely packed plants need to be divided.”
An example: In spring, when temperatures rise, it’s generally time to prune perennials. However, the exact timing can depend on the weather. “The dry shoots and leaves are like a winter coat for the plant. You can feel when it’s time for the plant to shed it,” says Anja Maubach. The first time, you might just have to dare to start. “Every step becomes an experience and leads to increased confidence,” says garden designer Maubach.
Another example: From spring onwards, plants are fertilized. If the lawn starts growing and needs regular mowing, you can also aerate it. This involves removing dead or excess material like moss between the grasses. This measure is important; otherwise, the area becomes matted. Whether aeration is necessary again in a year can be seen if so much moss has formed that it hinders the development of the grasses.
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Avoid Automation
In summer, watering is naturally a task. But here too, the advice is: “The key to garden care is to walk through the garden with open eyes and live in it,” says Uschi App, deputy chairwoman of the Association of Garden, Landscape, and Sports Field Construction in Baden-Württemberg. Neither she nor Anja Maubach recommends automation with an irrigation system.
According to App, this often leads to excessive water use–and not all plants benefit from irrigation systems. “A drip hose might make sense in a perennial bed. But it doesn’t supply a large tree down to the deep root layers,” says Uschi App, a master in garden and landscape construction. Therefore, Anja Maubach advises intervening when the garden needs support. “In challenging weather with high temperatures, you care for the plant with water so it has the strength to thrive.”
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A Little Gardening Knowledge is Naturally Good
Without some gardening knowledge, which you acquire over time, you probably won’t develop a green thumb. This is evident in the example of pruning. By law, shrubs and hedges may not be heavily pruned from spring to fall to protect birds and other animals nesting in them. However, “The shoots that grew in the same year can be cut,” says Uschi App. This is also known as a shaping cut.
When tree growth ends for the season in late July, they can also receive a summer cut. This involves thinning the crown without stimulating new growth. Some perennials also tolerate summer pruning because they sprout more compactly afterward and their water consumption decreases. “For example, catnip is trimmed after the first bloom so it can provide food for insects in late summer,” says Uschi App. This also applies to lady’s mantle, blue sage, and cranesbill.
Wildlife as Garden Helpers
In fall, perennials can be pruned again. However, this is a task that more and more hobby gardeners and professionals are postponing until spring. This way, the seed heads of the perennials remain as food for birds and the shoots as a retreat for insects. Having a green thumb always involves keeping the entire ecosystem in mind–because those who provide a home for animals in their garden receive their help in return: insects pollinate flowers and beneficial creatures keep pests in check.
When it’s no longer green: Whether to leave brown shoots and flowers standing is a matter of debate among many garden owners. Even the two experts define a well-kept garden somewhat differently: “For me, it’s always important that the paths are clean and you enjoy sitting on the garden benches,” says Anja Maubach. Uschi App, on the other hand, values neatly edged lawns and trimmed hedges. For both, perennial beds can also look a bit wilder. Anja Maubach advises maintaining your garden for yourself and always acting out of this responsibility.
with material from dpa