Michael O. McCarthy

You can use the wooden handles of your tools as measurement sticks. You can use larger tools, like rakes, as measuring sticks. Place the handles on the ground and measure them. Label the distances onto them using a permanent marker pen. Now when you go garden the next time, you’ll have a giant ruler at your command. Hold off having a pond in your garden until your children are older. A pond, no matter how shallow, can be very dangerous for small children. If you start off with a sunken sandpit for your toddlers to play in, you can easily convert it into a garden pond when they are older. Simply line the area with a rubber pond liner or use a preformed pond.

Use climbing vines or plants to cover fences and walls. Plants that climb are extraordinarily versatile, and can help hide an unsightly wall or fence, usually within one season. You can direct them over certain branches or boards, or you can send them through plants you already have. Some may need to be attached to a support, and others will attach themselves to any surface using their twining stems or tendrils. There are many varieties you can choose from. Honeysuckle, climbing roses and jasmine are among the best. Do you enjoy your mint leaves, but can’t stand how they dominate your garden? Instead of planting mint in your garden, keep it in a large container or pot to prevent it from spreading. You can simply put the container below the soil level. Once you do, the container will constrain the roots, preventing them from overshadowing all of your other plants.