From Sarah's garden to yours.

Gardening is often described as a wonderful hobby that can reduce stress and provide great joy. The process of caring for the garden is incredibly rewarding, as is the sense of pride and achievement in creating a beautiful garden. Just being in a garden can be beneficial to wellbeing. There are multiple reports and studies to back this up. There are countless books, magazines, and social media content that showcase absolutely stunning gardens with all the hints and tips to achieve something spectacular in your own garden. It all seems so easy.

On some days though, taking care of the garden can seem more like a chore, or even a burden and can be more overwhelming than edifying. For some people gardening is no different from housework – it is just another room that needs to be maintained to look nice and remain useful. This is where the fun and beneficial aspects of gardening feel like an illusion and all that remains is a hard and unpleasant slog. The key to happiness is to work smarter not harder.

Ask for help

There is a way to have a beautiful garden to enjoy without the feelings of resentment or inadequacy. If gardening is just not something you are into or have the skills for, or your health prevent you then the best way forward is to pay an expert to do it for you.

There are many different degrees of assistance. You could take a wild and neglected backyard, explain your vision of the perfect garden, and have contractors turn that dream into reality. Another way is to have someone come once a week to mow the lawns and pull the weeds. It doesn’t matter how a beautiful garden was created and maintained, if it brings you joy then having a garden to sit in, to entertain in and appreciate is a wonderful thing.

Not everyone has the resources to hire help, or even wants to. Many people do garden to enjoy the process. Whether you chose to do garden maintenance or see it as something that needs to be done, like anything done often enough it is a skill that improves with experience.

Over time the ability to do tasks in the garden becomes easier and often faster. Sometimes the learning comes from mistakes never to be repeated and other times the sweet taste of success is enough to ensure the next time is eagerly looked forward to. If the responsibility of gardening rests on your shoulders there are ways to prevent it from becoming a dreaded chore.

Manage your time

Instead of tackling a large project in a boom-and-bust way, expecting to get it done all in one session, break it up into smaller parts. If it is an out-of-control garden bed, full of weeds, divide it into manageable sized chunks that can comfortably dealt with in a short amount of time. Half an hour a day over the course of a week will get the job done at a noticeable pace without muscle aches from repeated actions for hours on end. Working with your back to the weeds creates a sense of achievement as the cleared land expands in front of you.

Separate out different steps of the task and take a break and reward yourself for achieving the various stages. Listen to a podcast or your favourite music and stop when the podcast or your short playlist comes to an end.

Mix up different chores in the available time such as weeding, digging, raking pruning, to alleviate potential boredom, move several projects forward during the gardening session, and work different parts of your body to avoid unnecessary stress and strain.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and gardens can be quite forgiving. Nothing is so urgent in a garden that it needs to be done in one day.

Use the right tools

Gardening can be quite hands on – literally. Weeds can be wrenched from the ground with bare hands. A hole can be scratched out, with little more than a stick, but it isn’t necessary. Even if tools are unavailable, there are alternatives that can be creatively upcycled from other intended uses to make the job easier. If you do insist on your hands as your primary tools, then it can be a good idea to wear gloves to avoid injuries that could cause a halt to all gardening activities.

A basic set of tools is the next step up from none at all. Most gardeners have their favourite tools to achieve a task. The key to making life easier is to invest in the best quality tools you can afford that will do the garden jobs you need done. A hose that constantly kinks or a trowel with a bendy handle will cause delays and frustrations. Once you have those tools, it is important to look after them and keep them clean and sharp. A blunt cutting tool will struggle to cut through, a dirty spade will make digging a hole harder. Caring for your tools will not only make the task at hand easier, but it will also make them last for many years as they support you on your gardening journey.

Another aspect of working smarter not harder is to see if there are tools out there that are designed to do a better, faster or easier job. If miles of hedges need trimming, as satisfying as it is to use hand shears for a precise cut, a battery hedge trimmer can have the job done in no time at all. Secateurs can be the primary tool when pruning trees and shrubs, however trying to cut thicker branches can be challenging, as secateurs come with a recommended upper size limit and persevering can be slow and difficult and could even damage the tools. A lopper or pruning saw would save time, effort and be kinder to the tree.

Assess the task at hand and decide if your tools are up to the job or do you need an upgrade.

At the end of the day, not everything in the garden can be fun or easy. Sometimes it is dirty, heavy and/or monotonous. If the act of gardening is a passion or even a necessity, a little bit of smart thinking can make things go a lot easier, getting the job done efficiently without the loss of motivation or joy.