In Other Words with Dave

Our hostas are happy, and our creeping phlox is creeping— or phloxing? Whatever the case… Our flowerbeds are hopping with DIY activity and progress. Alison and I make a mulchin’ and plantin’ dream team. 

As veteran DIY yardscapers, it has taken us years and multiple failed projects to understand our capabilities and limits. Weekend project plans that include phrases like “water feature,” “gazebo,” “Japanese Maple,” “outdoor lighting,” and “retaining wall” are all cues to “call a professional.” 

Here are a few handy tips we’ve learned: 

• Avoid mowing your lawn in creative zigzags and swirling patterns. Your spouse is not impressed, Picasso. Stick to the basics. 

• When you hear the words, “This should be enough mulch,” know that you’re doomed to at least three more trips to the garden center. Mulch: the destroyer of weekend plans. 

• A word of caution: consult with your better gardening half before yanking out any mysterious greenery. That “weed” you’re suspiciously eyeballing just might be your spouse’s prized perennial. I speak from experience. 

• When entering your local garden center for a few things, skip the hand basket and the shopping cart. Instead, find one of those unwieldy flatbeds to avoid a series of transport upgrades. Why fight it? Again, I’m speaking from experience. 

Happy gardening, friends. May your flowerbeds flourish and your mulch stay exactly where you spread it—at least until next spring.