Your backyard garden looks livelier and healthier when the plants are lush – it’s a sign that they are thriving! Taking care of each plant takes work but the effort is well worth it. It’s fulfilling to see a happy and healthy garden with growing plants together in your small backyard that turned into an elegant oasis.

But If you’ve been having problems keeping your plants looking green and healthy, try these tips.

What is a Lush Garden?

What makes a lush garden? In gardening, lushness refers to the abundance of healthy plants and grass – think green meadows by the river, a blanket of groundcover in the middle of the woods, or an oasis in the middle of a desert.

Achieving lushness will take more than growing healthy plants. You must play with different plant textures, heights, and colors to make the garden appear full, healthy, and thriving. In this guide, we’re outlining tips for creating a lush garden.

8 Tips for Creating a Lush Garden

Look for inspiration: To plan your garden well, you must check for inspiration. You can leaf through gardening and home design magazines or look for inspos online. You want to plan the garden’s structure well, so you don’t encounter issues in the thick of it. Plan the kinds of plants to grow, like hedges to create natural walls or leafy plants to line walkways or pathways.

It starts with healthy soil: Good soil is the base of every healthy garden. Use well-draining soil full of plant nutrients to support growth. Before planting, loosen the soil to avoid lumps and amend with organic compost. Add organic compost to the garden beds yearly because nutrients are depleted after every growing season. Some plants may require regular fertilizer to help plants develop green, dense foliage. We suggest using a time release or liquid fertilizer whenever needed.

A play of texture: Texture is vital in a lush garden because it draws the eye to the space while giving the impression of fullness and life. A lush garden consists of green spaces, not just flowering plants. Add texture to the space by growing ground covers and leafy evergreens alongside perennials and annuals. You want a space to teem with life and avoid blank spots. Plants must be grown closer together to achieve a lush look. Just be sure that the plants aren’t grown too closely, or they might suffocate each other.

Strategic layering: You need to experiment with different plant heights to give fullness to the garden and envelop the space with green lushness. Taller plants should be grown on the outer edges of the garden, then work down in height to give the space a serene, private feel. Fast-growing creepers and vines should cover the hardscape structures like a pergola, arbor, or trellises. The combination of climbing plants and hardscape structures works as fillers for the space.

Mixing different foliage shapes and denseness: Plants have distinct foliage shapes, textures, sizes, and thicknesses – you have to plan how to mix and layer the plants to fill the space with a blanket of green, like a tropical garden! Start with a base of ornamental grasses to add height to space and fill blank spots. Then, layer with ground cover, and let the ground cover fill the space. Then, grow plants with broad leaves like hostas and pair these with plants with shiny leaves. Use plants with small, thick leaves in between wide, broad leafy plants for a lush, overgrown look.

A pop of color: To break the monotony, grow several colorful plants and distribute these evenly in the space. Bright blooms will work as a focal point in the garden. Flowering plants could alter the dynamics of the space while also giving the eye a break from all the green. You can also use herbs and vegetables to create visual interest.

A private oasis: If you’ve always envisioned yourself sitting in the middle of a green oasis, you need to plan for a seating area in your lush garden. Use tall, potted plants to frame the seating area as if it’s half-hidden from the view. Fill the gaps with small plants with thick foliage, then finish up with a pot of flowering plants for color.

Keep plants well-hydrated: Another crucial detail of a healthy, lush garden is proper hydration. Plants have to be well hydrated to develop healthy leaves. Create a regular watering schedule to maintain the fullness of the garden. You can also use mulch to retain more moisture. Avoid watering too often because this can lead to root rot, infestation, and diseases. Overwatering can be prevented by using well-draining soils and installing an efficient irrigation system. For potted plants, use planters with drainage holes.

Gardening Tools to Help You Build a Lush Garden

Garden Pruning Tools

Plants tend to grow much faster in a lush garden, and to keep the garden looking tidy, overgrowths must be pruned. You must invest in several pruning tools, such as a hedge and hand pruner. Use the hedge pruner to shape and trim bushes and shrubs, while the hand pruner can take care of extra stems. Pruning regularly improves air circulation, giving the plants more room to grow. Trimming overgrowths also exposes the foliage to sunlight, promoting faster, healthier growth.

Ratchet Lopper For Manual Gardening

A lopper is a must if your lush garden has several trees and big, bushy shrubs. Even better would be loppers with telescopic handles so you can extend the handles and cut thick branches in high places. We suggest getting loppers with a bypass-style blade because it makes the cleanest cut, which reduces damage to the plants.

Watering can/Garden Hose

Regular watering is essential to a garden, especially when your garden is teeming with thirsty evergreens. You can use a garden hose or a watering can to hydrate your plants. What’s important is to time the watering well. Do this early in the morning to prevent water evaporation. Water the roots, never the leaves to avoid molds. Ensure excess water flows away from the plant roots to prevent root rot.

Lawn Mower

Groundcovers and grass tend to grow quickly, so these should be trimmed regularly. A lawnmower eliminates overgrowths while also keeping the lawn healthy. Overgrowth tends to lure pests or cause diseases. Wear protective clothing and eye protection when mowing the grounds for your safety:

Weeder / Stand-up Weeding Tool

Weeds can infiltrate even the most looked after garden. You can remove weeds by hand or use a standup weeder if you have mobility problems. A weeder lets you remove weeds from the roots without bending down or kneeling. You can work on the garden with clean hands by using a weeder.

Hand Trowel

A hand trowel has lots of uses in the garden. You can use it to break up compacted soil, apply compost and fertilizers, or create a layer of mulch. You can also use a trowel to remove weeds and other invasive plants if you don’t have a weeder.

ECOgardener Gardening Supplies To Create Lush Gardens

Every gardener dreams of a lush, green garden filled with flowering plants and evergreens. With these tips, you can turn your dream garden into a reality. Go ahead, build a lush garden right now.

Check out our store if you’re on the hunt for high-quality garden tools and other gardening essentials. ECOgardener offers professional tools and premium supplies to help you transform your backyard to a lush garden.