Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter
A water feature, no matter how small, adds serenity to any garden.
NOW THAT the drought is over, it's the perfect time to give your droopy and dreary garden a lift. With just a little bit of time, effort and tips from Interior designer Francine Chin of Adam's Design you can transform your garden into a lush paradise.
Chin recently revitalised the lawn of Paula Sterling who lives in Cedar Manor, Portmore, St. Catherine for 'I can do that', a home and garden show aired on local cable station CETv!.
When Sterling moved to Cedar Manor in 2001, she didn't have a lawn. She explained that the area in front of her house was just bare and she had to add topsoil and plants. A student for the last four years, Sterling is no gardener. That, combined with the recent drought has left her feeling frustrated.
"You have the idea but you're not sure how to get it done", she explained. "It was dry and dead. It had some flowers that weren't cutting it. It had a dry unattended look -- 'nah cut no dash', as they say. It was nothing to come home to.
'I tried planting (more) flowers but one by one they died, they probably were the wrong type and couldn't take the sun."
Interior designer Francine Chin noted of Sterling's garden, "The plants were on their way out. They had a fungus. The lawn was very dry and crispy and needed water and fertiliser because Portmore is so dry."
Chin got to work and made over this garden in two days. She also went beyond the garden and made a little patio for Sterling to relax. The concrete area was painted red to pick up the colour of the roof and wood chip and patio furniture from Azan's Super Centre in Cross Roads was added. Chin selected tables with a stone top mosaic in set on top with matching chairs.
She chose those pieces because "They are outdoor furniture and you can buy all three pieces separately. They are resistant to weather, which makes them perfect."
"It feels fabulous," gushed Sterling at the end of the process. "She did all that I wanted done. They made me realise that I can do it. The recent showers of rain have been a blessing to me. I now have a gardener who knows what he's doing and the team has given me an idea of how to maintain it. I think it's the best garden in the scheme so I have to keep it up."
HOW TO BRING A LAWN TO LIFE
To spruce up your garden as Chin did to Sterling's you can create your flower bed in a particular design or funky shape. Use spray paint to outline the shape you want on the ground. If you want a patch of flower bed in your lawn, spray paint the design on the lawn.
Use a machete or garden hoe to cut out along the outline then remove grass (if there is any) in middle. If you do have a flower bed in your lawn, make it sunken so that when it rains the dirt and wood chip in it will not wash out onto the lawn.
Put in plants and flowers but pay attention to how close they are planted. If they are the ones that spread, allow enough space for them to grow. For edge around Sterling's garden Chin used philodendron that need to be planted between two and two and a half feet apart to give them room to spread.
When choosing plants, consider the amount of sun that your garden gets. If the area is sunny then you'll need plants that can take direct sunlight. Chin used philodendron in Sterling's sunny garden because that plant can stand up to the sun. If it's shady or tends to be out of the direct sun, then get plants that are suited for those conditions.
"Understand the plant you are using know what they will do in what light. Decide where you are using them. When you go to the nursery speak to them about where you are going to plant them, don't choose them because they are pretty," advised Chin.
Spread topsoil, plant, fertiliser and wood chip. Chips are decorative but they also help to keep flower and plant roots cool. Dried coconut husk can also be used.
