June 2013 - Getting it Together

How to Have an Organized Garden

Do you like to garden?

Do you find it takes more time than you can give it?

Has your garden gotten out of control?

Most of you know I am new to gardening. My goal is to keep my garden compact, neat and organized. My other goal is to garden and not get dirty! That goal is almost impossible to keep. Like most gardeners I find it very relaxing, quiet and therapeutic. There is also a great learning curve when it comes to plants and the garden.

Please take a minute to watch this short video on how to have an organized garden.

Here are my top 3 tips on how to have an organized garden:

Tip#1: Keep your garden compact. Every section of your garden does not have to have a plant in it. (Just like every cupboard in your kitchen does not have to be filled.) Some empty dirt spaces make your garden look more organized. You can see the individual plants and it gives them space to grow. I like to use hanging baskets. This keeps your herbs compact and easy to reach. As mentioned in the video be sure to keep mint in a pot or it will take over. I love picking the mint and making tea or adding it to cold water in the summer time. I also like hanging flower baskets. They add a splash of colour and are easy to maintain.

Tip#2: Take time to trim back. As a new gardener I got some help on this one. Twice a year we have a company come in and they trim back all the bushes, plants and trees. This seems to keep things under control. It makes weekly maintenance a little easier as well. As you experienced gardeners know, it does not take long for a garden to get out of control. In Vancouver Canada we have enough rain to make any garden lush.

Tip#3: Have a plan that you can adjust. Most people inherit a garden with the purchase of their home or townhome. The previous owners may or may not have had a plan. Now you need to add to that plan or start a new plan. Gardening can be pricy, so chances are you will add to the already excising plan. Look at magazines or other people’s garden for ideas. Consult local garden centres or expert gardeners. The one thing I find with gardeners (not me since I do not know enough!) is they are willing to share their knowledge. Gardeners are a happy group of people. If your garden is too much for you to care for, adjust your plan.

This is just a very small example of how to have an organized garden.

There is so much more to gardening then meets the eye. I’ll share more tips in future articles. In the meantime, if you have an awesome organizing garden tip please share it in the box below. Your comments are always welcome. Hey, maybe I’ll learn a great gardening tip from YOU.

Have you taken advantage of your FREE 30 minute call yetl? Soon the gardening gloves will be put away for the winter and the rubber gloves will be put on for some overdue “spring” clearing. I know how it works. The inside of the home gets neglected when the sun is out and the garden is calling your name. In our call I’ll give you 2 quick tips on getting back into the swing of things with keeping your home organized. To take advantage of this FREE call, click here.

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:43+00:00June 24th, 2013|Home Organization, Organizer|0 Comments

Live simply so that others may simply live

-Gandhi

This is one of my favorite quotes.

This quote does not mean living without. It does not mean being poor or deprived, it simply means thinking about how you live and what you live with or without.

Imagine if everyone in non-third world countries lived like this. Would that help others?

Would this quote “ Live simply so that others may simply live” also help you with getting and staying clutter free?

Check out this short video on live simply so that others may simply live and enjoy these fascinating facts.

Here are a few fascinating facts to ponder.

More than 4 million pairs of eyeglasses are trashed annually, according to Unite for Sight. When I am working hands on with a client and come across outdated prescription eyeglasses I take them to my local gym. There is a drop box at the front desk. These glasses get sent to third world countries and repurposed. There are more than a billion people with eye sight problems in this world. www.theVisionvillage.com, $20.00 for 20/20; www.worldvison.org.

22.3 billion lbs of textiles, including clothing, were thrown away in 2010. Now some of your husband’s tee shirts might warrant being thrown away however what about all the other clothing items in your closet that are not being worn? Can you donate tee shirts, pants, dresses etc to a less fortunate family? As many of you know I am a member of the Soroptimists International. We collect gently used items for the less fortunate family’s right here in the Greater Lower Mainland. Let me help you hands on with organizing your clothes closet. You will be amazed as to what we find to donate. Please keep in mind that nothing takes on value unless it is being used. Pass your clothing on before it is too late for anyone else to wear it.

Had the estimated 32.7 billion aluminum cans tossed out in 2011 been redeemed at recycling center, they could have netted about $ 820 million. Can you believe this fascinating fact? As a kid I collected pop/beer cans, returned them and sent myself off to summer camp. Today Mark does all of our returns and donates the money to charity. We have very few returns however every little bit counts.

15.8 million tons of reading material (books/magazines) and other paper products were trashed in 2010. Who do you know who would love some new books, reading material or updated magazines? Why not take them with you the next time you go on vacation to a less fortunate country.

Over ten million bicycles are dumped into American and European landfills yearly, says Bicycles for Humanity. Pass your children’s bikes on before they are all rusty and out of date. That goes with all the other sporting equipment sitting in your garage or crawl space.

Each year more than 350 million pairs of shoes march into landfills, according to the charity “Shoes for the Cure” How many pairs of shoes does a gal/child need? If you are Imelda Markus you need a special closet just for shoes. If you are you and me well that is a different story. We are all on the road of decluttering so less is more. Keep the shoes that fit you, that are comfortable and in style. Please donate the rest.

According to the NRDC, the average American family of four ends up tossing the equivalent of $2,275 of food into the garbage annually. Have you taken advantage of my FREE session yet? I will discuss menu planning and quick, easy, healthy recipes. Being organized and planning will eliminate food waste. CLICK HERE

The roughly 38,000 miles of ribbon we toss each year is “enough to tie a bow around the Earth.” What if we used string and then repurposed that string or reused the ribbon?

In 2010 Americans got rid of 152 million cell phones and other mobile devices, of which 135 million made their way to the landfill. Do you like to have the latest and greatest new phone that comes out? There is nothing wrong with that as long as you repurpose your old ones. These items and many more can be sent to third world countries or recycled through London Drugs.

Let’s all work together to run our lives with TLC “Total Liquidation of Clutter” and TEW “Total Elimination of Waste” and LEI “Lower Environmental Impact”.

Join me in a simplicity movement or start one of your own in your community.

P.S. Have you heard about our referral program?

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:43+00:00June 10th, 2013|Organizer|8 Comments