A garden is a wonderful asset to any home. Tending a garden, no matter whether casually or more seriously, has many benefits. Not only does a beautiful garden look wonderful, but keeping one is also good for one’s mental health. Though gardens do require ongoing maintenance, once one is established, it is relatively easy to keep it in top condition. The problem comes when you need to be away from home.
Perhaps you are going on vacation for a few weeks, or maybe your work takes you abroad? Whatever the reason, leaving your garden untended for even a short time can lead to deterioration and problems. Then there’s the subject of security. We’ve put together a set of tips that should help you ensure your garden is fine while you are away and reduce your worries while you travel.
Store Furniture Securely
Having beautiful garden furniture and seating makes using your garden even more wonderful. The problem is things like this are a magnet for thieves. Sadly, theft from gardens is common, and it’s not unusual for a table and chairs – for example – to go missing without you noticing. If you’re away from home, then things are even easier for the unscrupulous among us.
The best thing to do if you are going away for some time is to hide your furniture away in a shed or even in the house. If it is too cumbersome to move, then chain it all together and lock it securely. Remember that security should also be applied to garden tools, power tools, and other valuable items, so ensure you have good locks on your garden buildings.
Set a Sprinkler on a Timer
In hot weather, a lawn or flower bed can wilt very quickly if water is not available. Set a sprinkler system to deliver water to your garden regularly if you live in a region where the weather gets hot and dry. This will allow you to make sure that you have water constantly when needed.
Sprinklers can be set with timers to work for a chosen period each day, and these are a good way of keeping a garden suitably moist whilst absent. This is also the best way to maintain your lawn and garden in summer.
Let Neighbors Know You are Away
Let your direct neighbors know that you are going away and ask them to keep an eye out for anything odd or suspicious. They may be happy to check your garden over every now and then to ensure all is well. However, while ensuring that neighbors are aware, an essential security tip is to not broadcast your absence on social media.
No matter how private your statuses are, there are clues and ways that people can discover where you live and target your garden for valuable tools and other potential money-making spoils. Neighbors look after each other in situations such as this, so be certain to keep them informed of your whereabouts so they can contact you if the need be.
Engage a Gardener to Keep Things Tidy
If your work, for example, takes you away from home for extended periods, then you may wish to engage the services of a local gardening company. They can provide a gardener who will regularly check that all is well and perhaps attend on a weekly basis to keep things in trim and to water the plants. You may think this an expensive option, but in fact, it can be surprisingly cost-effective.
Gardening service providers can be a great help where people need to be away from home for some time. They can also be a useful deterrent to thieves. A garden that becomes overgrown and untended is one that gives away the possibility of the property being empty for some time. Even if you are not a keen gardener, it pays greatly to get a local gardener to keep yours in good shape.
We recommend you talk to some local gardeners and see what they will charge for the level of service that you require, and you can rest assured that your garden is looked after to a suitable degree while you are unable to tend to it.
Lock Sheds and Other Buildings Securely
Coming home to a nice tidy garden is a soothing and satisfactory feeling. Not only can you relax and use your garden as you wish, but you can enjoy it as you would have been there all the time. We do advise that you ensure all sheds and garden buildings are securely locked – it’s worth spending a good amount on high-quality padlocks for your tool shed – and that valuable items are hidden away to minimize the possibility of theft.
So, get in touch with some gardening service providers and invite them to give you a quote, and you’ll soon have the peace of mind that your garden will always be looked after.
