The garden should serve you, not you

Claire Small
Authored by Claire Small
Posted Friday, May 27, 2022 - 4:02pm

You longed for a house with a garden and you fulfilled your dream, but now you feel that this is not such big win? We probably know what the problem is. You made a garden that you must serve, when it should be the other way around!

Pitfalls of ornamental gardens with a pool

Many Czechs were inspired by the American dream of living in a small cottage with an ornamental garden and a swimming pool. In our environment, we were not used to such things. The garden belonging to most houses have historically been used for commercial purposes.

So our idea was mainly to sunbathe in the perfect garden from morning to evening with a drink in our hand. When the house is built and the garden is finished, you suddenly discover how much work is behind it.

The pool doesn't clean itself

For example, keeping the water in the pool requires daily maintenance. It's necessary to monitor the correct pH in the water and disinfect it. In addition, you have to catch dirt that enters the pool on a regular basis. Automatic filtration won't take care of everything.

The grass won't grow by itself

A lawn has to be mowed weekly at minimum. And if you want to have it really perfect, you'll also have to weed it, rake the old grass and fertilise the lawn properly. On hot days without rain, it may also require watering.

Shrubs don't prune themselves and the leaves don't rake themselves

Trees and shrubs must be pruned, and throughout the autumn you'll need to rake the leaves. And during all of this, occasionally some plant will die and you'll have to dig it up, including the root system. Subsequently, you'll have to repair the area and put a new plant there.

Eventually, you'll discover that the garden brings you nothing and there is not much time left to relax.

How to get out of it?

Try to reduce some of the grassy areas and instead of longing for an English "lawn", settle for Czech meadow grass. Build a pergola with garden furniture in the garden. Instead of a few ornamental shrubs, for example, put a garden swing in your garden.

And in order to benefit from your plant care, place herb gardens and vegetable beds instead of ornamental plants. Replace ornamental cherries with real fruit trees that will bear fruit during summer and autumn.

And if you still have some space left, you can try to keep rabbits or hens, which will give you eggs every day. You'll see how your garden will suddenly be useful to you and no work will be wasted. And you will also find time to relax!

Isn't that still it?

If you discovered that your dream of a family house with a garden doesn't reconcile with reality, there is nothing wrong with admitting to a mistake and moving into an apartment. Ok, it's not usual, but if you can boldly ignore the opinions of the surroundings. A sunny apartment with a large loggia is not to be looked down on. And your worries will simply go away.


 

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