Top 20 New Year Garden Resolutions 2023!
New Year, New You, New Garden!
2023 marks a new year with a new opportunity to start a fresh new garden, to revamp an old one, or to refine our existing gardens and living spaces.
To jump-start your gardening in 2023, we have asked some passionate gardeners to share what their New Year garden resolutions were and other good practices to adopt to create a lush and beautiful garden.
Here are our 20 best suggestions that would help inspire you to take your gardening to the next level.
Top 20 New Year Garden Resolutions 2023!
1. Start a compost heap.
Kitchen scraps such as vegetable peels and eggshells can be thrown in your compost heap together with green and brown excess leaves from your garden. You will produce less rubbish and no more smelly bins. In no time you will be rewarded with some of the best FREE garden additives, Compost!
2. Try growing some herbs and Vegetables
Trees and flowers are certainly beautiful, but if you have never planted any vegetables or culinary herbs, you are missing out on one of the most rewarding and Eco-friendly garden activities. Herbs and veggies are expensive in the market, and often packaged in excessive plastic, so growing your own in pots, balconies or raised beds will make a big impact on the environment and you will enjoy the joys of harvesting fresh and cooking locally!
Click here to see our Herbs and Vegetables.
3. Plant many trees!
With the recent bushfires that decimated a huge part of our forests, we need to help in the regeneration by planting as many trees as we can. Whether native, flowering, or fruit trees, it is simply vital for the environment and to help with the human impact on ecosystems.
Read our tree planting guide.
4. Grow Vertical
When you run out of space on the ground, how about getting some climbers and putting them up a fence or a pergola. They create a beautiful layered effect and add some interesting features to your garden.
Ornamental plants to grow vertically are Wisteria, Chinese Star Jasmine, Clematis, climbing roses, Hardenbergia, Bougainvillea, Pandorea and Mandevillea.
Edible fruits & Veg to grow vertically are Passion fruit, Kiwi/Kiwiberry, Grapes, Cucamelon, cucumbers, melons, beans, peas, etc.
5. Bring some plants indoors
Indoor plants are great to add a touch of nature to your living spaces. They clean the air by reducing levels of certain pollutants, such as benzene and nitrogen dioxide, and reducing airborne dust levels. They also aid to reduce your stress and create a feeling of well-being. They’re easy to grow and many of them will tolerate shade and some neglect.
See our Indoor plants here.
6. Use less plastic
Plastic is everywhere nowadays. We all know that plastic does not decompose and can stay around forever, but they do break down slowly into microplastics and this is very harmful to the environment and to ourselves. Unfortunately many garden tools and products are made of plastic and it is up to the consumer to say no to these products and use alternatives, made of renewable and eco-friendly products.
7. Take care of the soil, make it rich!
Our soil is the most important resource that we have and we need to take care of it. Signs of healthy soil include plenty of underground animal and plant activity, such as earthworms and fungi. Soil that is rich in organic matter tends to be darker and crumbles off of the roots of plants you pull up. A healthy, spread-out root system is also a sign of good soil. To make your soil healthy, you should incorporate a lot of organic matter by top amendment and protect it with mulch.
See our list of composts, manures and soil mixes.
Read more about your soil type here!
Potting mix or soil? Which to choose?
Types of Manure and which is the best for your garden!
8. Use water wisely and Mulch
Water is precious and essential to a beautiful garden, as we all know how thirsty our plants can get. But as water is a finite resource, we need to manage it efficiently. So using drip irrigation systems save a lot of water by getting the water right where it is needed. A good 3 inches of mulch is recommended to stop weeds and to keep the moisture in the soil.
Not enough water will cause plants to die, but also too much water might cause issues like wet feet. Click here to read more about wet feet and how to save your plants.
Click here to see our various types of mulch.
9. Go organic and try natural pest controls
Pesticides, insecticides, and other chemicals are harmful to the environment and ourselves. Luckily there are many other organic alternatives on the market that are easily available for everyone to use, so give them a try and be Eco-friendly. You can also use comfrey and compost tea. Try to switch to natural fertilizers also for a change!
See our range of Charlie Carp fertilisers that recycles invasive Carp fish into nutrients for your plants!
Click here to read about Psyllids.
10. Welcome insects/ wildlife
Signs of a healthy garden are that you will often see a lot of insects such as ladybirds, butterflies, and bees buzzing around and that is what makes a garden alive. Use insect hotels to get a variety of insects in your garden and water features to attract birds.
11. Go Peat Free
Peat moss although being a very useful garden additive and a good seed-starting medium, it is highly unsustainable. Peat is a non-renewable resource that took a long time to develop and harvesting it creates a lot of ecological problems. Instead of peat, there are many other cheaper and more ecological alternatives such as coco coir, manure or compost. See our list of composts, manures and soil mixes.
12. Try growing from seed.
While it is easy to buy established plants and take care of them, there is a magical feeling of planting a seed and see it emerge and grow into a beautiful plant. Although it does require more care and patience, it is more rewarding and you can also save a lot by growing from seed.
13. Plant more flowers for bees
We all know how important bees are to our ecosystems, pollinating fruit trees and flowers to produce delicious honey. Bees are having a hard time surviving in a challenging environment and bee populations are in decline worldwide. You can help them by proving them with a lot of melliferous flowers such as borage or lavender in your garden.
14. Plant more Fragrant flowers
It is an amazing feeling to walk in your garden and enjoy the sweet and delicate fragrances of flowers. Even if you don’t have a huge yard, you still can indulge in the luxury of scented plants such as Roses, Lilacs, Gardenias, Magnolias, Jasmine, Night-blooming jasmine, also known as night-scented jessamine and queen of the night, is more famous for its scent than its flowers. Click here for some fragrant plants.
15. Plant some herbal tea / medicinal plants
Besides being beautiful in your garden, many beautiful plants such as lemon, peppermint, chamomile, lavender, echinacea, eucalyptus, hibiscus, rose hips, jasmine, rosemary and ginger can be planted for their medicinal properties which are anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal, etc. Many ailments such as throat infections are easily curable by drinking herbal teas.
16. Organise your tools and keep them handy
You need the right tool for the right job! So instead of wasting time trying to find your set of pruners that you left in the corner of the garden last week, you can organise your tools properly and keep them tidy, so you always have the tool you need, when you need them! Cleaning them, sharpening them, and keeping them oiled will also prolong their lifetime.
17. Teach your children how to plant
Children are nowadays glued to their smart devices and rarely have the time for the outdoors. Spending time with your children in the garden and passing on your gardening passion and knowledge will create very special memories to be cherished. It will also develop their desire to spend time in nature and will be better for their well-being.
18. Try companion planting
Companion planting in the home garden is an imitation of those symbiotic relationships. Some plant combinations attract beneficial insects and pollinators, deter unwanted pests, and offer shelter and food for other critters. The plants provide each other with things they need, be that nutrients, shade, or physical support. Plants such as Marigolds or basil are great to deter moths.
19. Take on a challenging/interesting garden project
There are so many different garden projects that you can take up just for fun or to add an interesting feature to your garden and make your space more productive. You can start small with projects such as topsy turvy pot planter or take on more challenging ones such as a raised bed, water feature, vertical garden, etc. The aim is to keep yourself motivated and to be dynamic in the garden.
20. Enjoy your outdoor space more!
With all the hard work that goes into making your garden so beautiful, you need to make the most of it, so the best thing you can do is to create a little outdoor sitting space with a table to enjoy a little meal outside close to your flowers and plants. To make it enjoyable you can select partly shaded areas tucked in a cosy corner that provides a beautiful view of your creation.
If you need any help or advice, we are always a phone call away on (03) 9359 3331 .
We provide a Free Garden Design Service and Free delivery Service also!
When you shop with us, you can get some FREE plants as part of our Rewards Program.
Gardens for everyone is a big sale of plants starting at just $6.99!
We hope that this list will encourage you to spend more time in your garden and plant even more trees and flowers. We wish you a very Happy Gardening Year 2023!
