Many of our gardening resolutions come from our experiences in the gardens this year and how we, at Wimberg, prefer to garden: something we call The Wimberg Way.

We believe in gardening for the greater good. We garden for our personal enrichment as well as the preservation and support of nature. To that end, we believe that all properties should have a selection of plants that benefit pollinators. Incorporating native plants promotes a well-balanced landscape that invites native insects and pollinators.

More plants, less mulch! This was an easy resolution to keep last year and we will certainly carry it through 2020. We added considerably more pollinator plants to our gardens, filling in all the vacant garden spaces. As a result, the gardens were easier to care for and it’s great fun watching the pollinators, birds and butterflies in the gardens.

More enjoyment, less work. Can we apply this to all aspects of our lives? Perhaps, but certainly we can with gardening. Gardens that are lushly planted are far more forgiving.  A lackluster plant here or there was hard to spot in a lush garden and the weeds had a hard go of it. 

Hand pruning over sheering.  Our sheers are getting rusty with nothing to do. We find that hand pruning is easier, creates little to no mess and is far healthier for the plants.  Gone are the days of pruning shrubs into submission. A natural look is far more attractive in just about every landscape. 

When mulch is needed, call on pine straw.  A newly planted garden, even a lush one, will have some open spaces. Come winter, when many plants are in dormancy, a nice covering of pine straw is what we prefer. Unlike shredded mulch, pine straw will not smother plants nor will it inhibit air and water circulation.