Cas, you need a bog filter! Google it, there are lots of good tutorials. Its basically a big bucket or tub that you layer large, medium and small rocks in and then run the water through it! It keeps your pond clean without chemicals and you can put cool water plants in the top to make it look cute! Plus you can plant tall grasses around 3 sides and really camouflage it so the yard stays pretty 😊
Don't fill it with concrete, fill it with dirt and plant flowers. It's less expensive and if you ever change your mind, you can dig out the dirt. Loved this video so much, as it was extremely helpful, especially what NOT to plant.
Cas, the frogs are dying from the chlorine. Please don't put any fish in the pond until you have an expert from a pond company evaluate the pond. That person can give you recommendations on how to clear up the pond and maintain a healthy pond. Make sure you tell him (or her) your requirements, i.e., easy to maintain.
Great advice!! Any thirsty animal, including dogs and cats, cannot drink a from a pond contaminated with chlorine. A proper filter and pump works wonders as does adding plants to increase the oxygen in the water.. there is also beneficial bateria available as an additive!
Thanks for enthusiastically sharing your flower beds and ideas. It would be great to see footage over time as it matures and through out the season as flowers bloom at various times. It depends on property location, circumstances and personal choice ~ I have areas that I want plants to spread for ground cover, just don’t intermingle with mixed flower beds.. Ground cover plants can save weeding time and use of pesticides to control weeds. Also perennials some of which you don’t prefer…. I personally enjoy and those that grow bigger clumps and spread and provide a fuller ~ wall to wall look, which also helps crowd out weeds. I live in the country and even double weed barrier is not full proof prevention but helps a lot.
We've had our pond for 22 years and it nearly takes care of itself, so something is very wrong with yours. NEVER, ever put chlorine in a pond! It kills everything beneficial in it. I don't know what kind of filter you have, but you need a bio-filter. Then you need beneficial bacteria, which is what helps keep the pond clean and clear. Lastly, you need water plants and plenty of them. The more plants, the cleaner the water because they themselves are a filter. I highly recommend you watch any of the Aquascape pond videos, or Oz Pond's YT channel.
Thanks that's super encouraging because a lot of perennials that I've planted this year, like my roses, some phlox, catmint, and dianthus isn't doing so hot, but the phlox I planted last year came back a lot bigger and fuller than it was doing then
I love you! You’re so funny. The weeds! I don’t want to deal with all the work but want the flowers! I loved this vid. Yes lazy girl hacks for everything! The only flowers that came with our house are day Lilly’s! Added bonus, all my flower beds are lined with the liner like you showed- BUT- they have stone instead of mulch. I mean it’s a LOT of stone everywhere. I can’t even replant. Watching you with pulling the green leaves cracked me up! It’s like a full time job! Good to know I’m not alone!! Thanks for all you do!
Just a little tip for Peony lovers. I honestly was just out cutting some from my 8 Peony bushes. Just take a container of water out with you, cut a stem with a flower or bud and swish it in the water. This removes the ants and you can have a beautiful vase of peonies in your home. I always do. Any hacks Cas, would be welcome, "Hi" from the Maritimes, New Brunswick actually.
@@alissandrasweeney289 In my experience, it doesn't hurt the peony flowers. They are SUPER hardy!! and meet all the criteria that Cas had mentioned for being easy plants to care for. They do have a fairly short flowering for a couple weeks to a month in spring, but you CAN put other flowers with them in the same beds. Just look up "peony companion plants". ...I just double-checked and a few of the companion plants are ones that Cas recommends. Perfect!
Two solutions for your pond dilemma: 1. Put a pump in it; keeping the water moving will eliminate the maintenance. (It probably won't keep dead things out of it, however) 2. Make your pond into a flower garden! I did, and it was the best idea ever! Just drain the water out, fill it with soil, plant it full of some of your fabulous perennial options and enjoy! Susan (not the brown-eyed kind, although I am perennial)
I tried this in my garden for peppermint. Actually, I planted the mint OUTSIDE my raised beds in separate tiny beds. Those dang things sent runners UNDER the partially buried walls of my beds!! When I went to prep my beds the next season and saw how big the root ball inside my garden was (like 1.5 x 3 feet, with runners everywhere), I literally cried. Thankfully, I got it all and it never came back but I'm in a very hot, dry climate. I don't think I would have fared so well anywhere else. Careful with that mint!!
I really liked your suggestions! EXCEPT...for the non-biodegradable plastic mesh. I moved in with lawn where I wanted a garden. I justdug an edge, laid thick cardboard, planted in holes with enriched soil, mulched, HAVE RARELY SEEN a weed in my lush perennial bed 🌱🌸🐝💗🏵🌿
I came here to say the same thing. Landscape fabric is horrible for the soil. I’ve had good luck with cardboard covered with 2-3 inches of mulch. Please don’t use landscape fabric. I loved the perennial suggestions, just not the recommendation to use landscape fabric.
We've come to the point where weeds grow in the decomposed mulch THROUGH the fabric, so they can't be pulled without tearing up the fabric and mulch. Slowly working on rolling it all up like bad carpeting.
Thanks! This was great! On the pond front - I inherited one as well with my first house. I fought the algae, tried chemicals, & scooped out dead frogs too. It was right in front of my house and looked terrible for FOUR YEARS. One weekend in a fit of frustration/rage I was done. I dug around it, I pulled up all the stones, dug out the pond liner & filled in the hole with sand, then topsoil, then mulch. It took a whole weekend but it was SSSSOOOO worth it! I ended up buying a beautiful garden bench and planter to put there instead and I never regretted it for one second. Plus my daughter, whose window was right next to the pond, ended up sleeping WAY better afterwards. She frequently told me her "froggy friend" woke her up in the night. I just thought she was being cute. NOPE! Turns out there was a frog the size of salad plate living in the pond! Fortunately for him we lived next to an actual pond so he quickly relocated himself to the bigger pond to live his best life. Anyway, moral of the story, if you hate the pond now don't wait a years to build up years of hatred towards it just get rid of it and reuse the stones somewhere else in your landscaping. Best of luck!!!
Pond rehab; scoop out any leaves or solids that are in it. Stop adding chlorine. Increase aeration, and get some fish (even goldfish are fine). Consider getting a pond lily or duck weed. If it’s in really bad shape, drain half the water and replace, wait a day then add fish.
Be careful about adding fish. They have to be fed, but not overfed. They are also prone to be plucked out of the water by birds of prey and other critters.
Depends on the size of the pond and type of fish. If there’s enough biologicals, they need little additional food. We had a pond for years and rarely fed our fish and they thrived. But yes birds, frogs and other predators can eat them, that’s nature.
Goldfish and other types of fish eat algae and other debris. So, that helps keep it clean. You can also add pond bacteria. All ponds are constantly in need of water because the heat and wind cause a lot of evaporation. We have a 20,000 gallon koi pond and we add water every week.
I have been a gardener for over 40 years - yep 4 decades and have even won the Make Your Hometown Beautiful award in our town. I have some tips and other advice - first PEONIES - one of the most beautiful plants in the world - and yes they attract ants but if you rinse the flower gently under cool water you will be fine. Lily of the valley - yes they are invasive - but smell divine - put them in an area of your yard ( I would suggest down where it floods) the smell will be intoxicating - and when they are done blooming - mow them down. Stops the spread too. Now for foxglove ( digitalis) - yes it is toxic but you would need to consume an awful lot of it to ( 6 -8 entire plants ) - technically Foxglove is not a perennial - it is a biennial - meaning it grows one year - flowers and set seeds the second year - You need to plant 2 consecutive years to ensure blooms. It is a beautiful plant - stunning. Now for your daylilies ( we call them sh..t house lilies - historically they were planted in the hole when you moved the outhouse every other year - a clump of lilies - the outhouse had been there). The flower will fall off all by itself ( new blooms should push it off) - they are one of the most prolific plants and the best buys a gardener can purchase. And bonus is daylilies are immune from the Asian lily leaf beetle that will destroy bulb lilies .( and most other flowers when they have finished with the lilies)
@@Clutterbug Nooooooooooo! Day lilies, Lily of the Valley are invasive. They negatively impact our ecosystems and choke out native plants which insects and pollinators rely on to reproduce. www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Southern-Grow-Me-Instead-1.pdf
Oh, God. Those beetles just polished off what was left of my bulb lilies this year after showing up last year. How do I keep them from destroying the rest of my garden???
@@Clutterbug I love day lilies, but "ditch lilies" are worse than Lily of the Valley for me. And I spent over two hours today just pulling up Lily of the Valley in my flower beds.
Love the lazy girl flower garden tips! I’m a 64 year old grandma that babysits my 2 grandchildren, age 6 and 2, 5 days a week, 9 hours a day. I’m super tired when I get home, so I’m going to re-landscape my flower gardens with easy to maintain plants and flowers. Looking forward to more lazy girl videos!
One summer wrens moved into my most treasured hanging basket (Chlorophytum comosum/airplane plants from my bride's bouquet 44 years ago). I was thrilled and stressed! I carefully raised up their nest by using a thoroughly washed upside down 6oz cat food can (or small tuna can). I was able to keep my plants carefully watered without making their nest soggy. I was still scolded by mom & dad occasionally when watering, but they fledged 3 healthy babies. 🤗
Had a robin nest and lay her eggs in a FAKE moss wreath on my front door one year. When we realized it, we used the garage to come and go until the eggs hatched and the family departed for the season. Was such fun to sneak up and peek at the babies now and then.
I put wooden bamboo skewers in my ferns to stop the wrens from building in them every year. We live on 5 wooded acres, they can build somewhere else...
I have watched every single one of your videos! But this is the only one I have found to disagree with 😂 Firstly, no chlorine in your pond. That’s why your frogs are dead. You need to have bottom feeders, Koi and snails to keep it clean. Second…..Lily of the Valley and Peonies are my favorite 😂 Lily of the valley won’t venture to bright areas and can be mowed over after flowering (if you hate them) And the ants on the Peonies can be shaken or rinsed off. Both make your house smell amazing! (If you see ants after bringing g in put a trap at the bottom )
Yes please! #lazygirlliving is a perfect series for me. Life’s too short when you wanna have a clutter free life, a beautiful garden, cook & bake all the things, and even do all the self-care all while running around with the family too!
I love Lilly of the valley, they smell so good and they are not ugly after the blooms stop. Iris are my favorites, so many colors and you can divide and plant more. Daffodils are also great. Hydrangeas are another favorite.
In the south we call cherry tomatoes (Tommy Toes). For your pond buy goldfish by the dozen. Super cheap! They will eat the algae and in winter they will survive under the frozen layer. My husband built a literal moat at our previous home the goldfish loved it! Me not so much but it was beautiful.
All good perennial ideas! ALL the flower perennials you showed do get larger each year and spread a bit, but more importantly they “get legs” and over a few years they’re needing to be replanted to restore visual order in the beds. (Some movement leaves bare spots while crowding in other spots) Love the hanging pot watering idea!!!
Okay - I happen to love Lily of the Valley. I have a large open area in one garden that I let it grow. The scent is so wonderful. Takes me right back to my childhood. My daylilies are great. They fill up my garden nicely. So, everyone likes something different. :)
You could get a solar fountain to help move the water so it doesn't stay stagnant ( amazon or lowes under 50.00 bucks) . I love mine. Also, some floating water lilies and plants so the frogs can hop in and out of the pond . No chlorine if you are going to have anything living in there. Install a water filtering system ( it's not that expensive or just bucket out 20 percent every 4 weeks or so , replacing it with fresh clean water. This helps cut the algea . Lilies and other aquatic plants will help with that as well. Of course, in the worst ( easiest lol) case, empty water out , fill with dirt, and add some of those plants you are talking about . 😅 Thank you for all your great ideas !
Love the video! FOR YOUR POND: Plants like water lilies and other water plants will shade the water and keep the algae from growing. The sun is what makes the algae grow. Also, fish can feed on the algae. Fish will also eat any mosquito larvae that find their way in. Aeration is also going to be importan - you need a bubbler, waterfall, sprayer, etc. Wherever it seems like mice are falling in, put in a long, small tree branch for them to climb back out.
I love my Lilly of the valley, the prettiest little flower in a vase and so fragrant. Mine has only spread in the area I placed it. The raccoons tore up my Shasta daisies.
The title alone!!! Omg. Yes yes yes 🙌🏽 I’ll be moving soon and so excited to garden. Moving from an apartment in NY (lived in apartments most of my life) to now owning a home with land. My favorite gardens are flowers that are tall and look like they’ve naturally grown there. Little maintenance sounds amazing!!!! Sign me up for the lazy girl garden. Excited to watch the video. Please be my inspo! ❤🙏🏽
These were so great! And remember that you are helping the native bees and pollinators when you plant native plants. They survive the best in your area too. To get rid of lily of the valley, Dig up the entire plant, including the roots and rhizomes, because that is how they spread. You can also sink pots or buckets with the bottoms removed into the ground to contain the lily of the valley. I do that because I love them in my spring bouquets, they are so fragrant. Bury cans 6-10" deep, so I use old plastic large coffee cans and just cut the bottoms off. You can also solarize the soil by covering it with clear plastic sheeting and anchoring it with stones, pavers or bricks for a summer. The heat kills the plants and prevents regrowth. 🌱 For the pond: Lazy person tip #1: Install a skimmer bucket to draw in surface debris before it sinks. That will prevent the muck from forming somewhat. A pump sits inside the skimmer, filtering out chunky material before it reaches the pond. This prevents a lot of buildup. Lazy person Tip #2: Aerate the pond using a bottom diffuser or surface aerator like a fountain. You can even buy solar powered ones that float on the surface and use no electricity. Aeration adds oxygen, prevents stagnation, and reduces muck buildup. It's one of the easiest ways to keep a pond healthy.
The key to a healthy attractive, enjoyable patio pond is having a NATURAL balance of organisms such as frogs, fish, plants, and oxygenated water through circulation and filtration. Its also important to embrace the fact that a healthy pond will never look like a pristine swimming pool. No pond is maintenance free, but letting nature do most of the work makes it much easier, while providing a healthy habitat for interesting creatures that appreciate the provisions. My one word of true caution from experience: NEVER let a Duckweed plant get within 10 feet of your pond! Oy. There is no getting rid of the stuff. We have so much duckweed in our very large in-ground/natural/in-dirt pond that ducks won't even come close to it. Yeesch. Even going completely dry during a drought didn't kill the darn stuff. Major bummer! At least the frogs, turtles, and dragonflies still enjoy the pond, but I miss the wild ducks.
All true! Just bear in mind that ponds are never no-maintenance because there's is no inflow and outflow of freshly- sourced water. Even with an aerator fountain, it's still just recirculated, no matter the size. Pond care is a whole thing, but with algae eaters (a natural, balancing slug-like critter), aeration, plants, shade, and circulation, the right animals will come to it and it will get a lot easier.
For the pond, there are filters. Also, I pump my pond out and put new water in occasionally. I need to know how to get rid of choke vines. The vines that look like white morning glories that have gone rogue. Great video! Creeping phlox is beautiful no maintenance plant. After a few years it needs dealing with. Only blooms in the spring.
You actually don't need a pump or filter if you put enough native oxygen plants in the pond. They mostly live submersed and will clean and clear the water for you! Might take a year or to for the natural balance to settle. But no need for chemicals... just please don't poison nature 🙏🏼
🌱One key point about any plant being invasive is that it all depends on where you live! Here in the western fringe of the southeast Texas Piney Woods, the lovely double daylilies my Dad-in-law planted here on the family farm decades ago are not invasive. They are still slowly spreading and have never gone into world domination phase. They do bloom much more heavily in very heavy rainy seasons like we have had recently, and they likely accelerate their space capture when conditions are most favorable like now. Other than rain, the daylilies are on their own and don't seem to care. There are varieties of daylilies that are known for being "self-cleaning," so they will drop off dead heads and seed pods on their own, but I love seeing the seed pods as being part of the natural process. Sadly, peonies can't survive our summer heat. Some plants are always better left to their own dedicated space so they can flourish and spread with reckless abandon without getting obnoxious about it. 💚
Great video! Thanks for all the great tips! Your pond should have running water so that the algae, etc. is less likely to grow. Moving water has less chances of being stagnate breading ground for undesirables. There are water plants that help keep the water clearer. Also algae eaters, but it depends on your climates freeze temperature and you may have to bring them in in the winter or get new ones every year. Try using" tank tabs" used by horse owners to keep algae and icky under control, but safe for animals, plants, etc. I hope you are able to get your pond nice . Water in a garden is a soothing and natural calming space for outdoor enjoyment. 💚
These ideas are GOLD! And the printable is the cherry on top! For years, I’ve longed to establish a lush perennial garden and have cut flowers gracing my table, but didn’t know where to start. Like you, I have a black thumb, and I never remember to water or deadhead because of my ADHD. This is the video that changes everything! 😊
If the liner is still down when they flood it will kill the plants unless you pick flood plain plants as the liner will hold onto some water still and rot roots of whatever was planted. Could get smelly too. So remove the liner first.
We have a water feature in our backyard. It got a crack in it. Instead of taking it out completely we removed just the top portion and turned it into a garden bed. We made sure there was drainage. We got one of those flower bowls from Costco and some marigolds. We left the plants in the container and put rock underneath and soil on top. My husband fertilizes and waters it and for 3 seasons now the flowers populate each spring. It provides a pop of color and I don't have to clean out mosquitoes and rain water anymore.
Love this new series idea! ❤ As far as the pond goes, maybe hire a pond service to evaluate and balance the pond so that you can take it from there. It’s pretty hard to bring a pond back to being balanced without experience.
Great video idea! I've killed so many lavenders, with and without watering 😑 But scabiosa are great! Mine are in full sun in pots, and doing well. I'd also recommend getting clover going in your lawn. Instant drought-proof greenery that survives the hot spells. But if you have pets, please check which plants / flowers are toxic for them, before you buy.
Appreciate you and your content! Blue pond die is what I use. We have 4 big ponds and they were a nighmare. It turns the water blue and reflects the sun off which greatly controlled the nasty, green, murkey, slimy mess. We treat 1x a year and thats it! Dont stress those little pond critters will be back before you know it Cass.
I live on the Saskatchewan prairies, and our summers are frequently semi-desert, as in very hot and dry. I got so sick of fussing with flowers, that I decided to grow a succulent garden. It is easy and so very pretty!! I also grow sunflowers in the backyard. They self-seed. Very easy, but they can be a lot of work to chop down in the fall. These are also wonderful ideas that are so helpful to continue my no-fuss gardening.
Can’t even tell you how much I appreciated watching this video! After hours of pro flower gardeners telling me their ’easy’ cut flower garden picks. I stumbled upon this video and had a Lucy-VanPeltz-that’s-it moment. Unkillable plants I can plant once and cut flowers from ever year. Exactly what I want. Thanks!
Cas, to plan for your vegetable garden next year, you might like the book "The Autopilot Garden" by Luke Marion. I've watched his UA-cam channel MIgardener for years, and his autopilot techniques for less work are right up your alley! Also, I have many of the flowers you mentioned in the first half of the video, and I got most of them for free from my mom's boss' yard. Many of them are still going strong over 20 years later!
Yes! Lazy girl cleaning, decorating, exercising!!!! Please! I'm an obliger and for some reason you're the only person I like listening to on UA-cam. I'd love a clean with me video that I can work along side with 😁
Use mulch without landscape fabric to eliminate use of plastic sheeting. Healthier for your soil too. I agree with day lilies, don’t like ‘em. As for the invasive lily of the valley, don’t let it get out of control like you have it. Dig it out and don’t give up. May take a while but worth the effort so you can put in something you like. You shouldn’t have a pond if you don’t enjoy caring for it. You could clean it and refill, put in Summit Clear water straw pond treatment. Actually, if you are “lazy,” have a simpler yard landscape. Thanks, I enjoyed your video.
If you have a husband that likes to build tons of planters but can't keep anything alive, plant Lily of the Valley. At least it's green and not a dust bowl like our other beds!
Mulch over landscape fabric will eventually break down and turn into soil. Weeds will grow into mulch as it breaks down. The only time I use landscape fabric is if I am putting rock down. But I love all your good advice on low maintenance flower beds
@cassthompson3386 Yes. I am a mother of seven. We have four boys and three girls. Ots not as scarry as it sounds. They are well-behaved, mostly, and a lot of fun.
@@thechattyhomemaker My question wasn't meant to be rude or condescending or anything. I love kids. It's just hard for me to imagine how you manage your time.
Mulch yes, landscape fabric only stops stuff from below it cannot stop debris and seeds building up above. The previous owners of our house did this and roots of some invasive plants (I'm UK so bindweed) love spreading beneath and now we are paying the price trying to rip it all out. Also it's non stop raining in the UK at the moment so my lavender is dying 😥 Clean your pond with the correct plants. Don't fill it, if the pond is healthy it basically looks after itself. Lily is not a bad idea!
i like how people always say no maintenance, but i kind a like pottering in my garden, tending to my plants, watch them grow...give slugs swimming lessons, prune my fruit and see how they reward me, it's my haven after work, turn brain off and pull weeds, it's super calming and stress relieving in my opinion. the daisies get eaten by slugs, so do the coneflowers and most important for me is that they're safe for my cats, so no lillies and many many others don't make the cut ;-) lavenders need to be pruned hard for it to thrive
I love your channel. You made really nice plant choices. The quite a few of your flowers are native to the States which is great. The plants you said you hated or didn't want in your garden is a good thing as they are all non native anyway. Lily of the valley is wicked, it is so invasive. The only way to get rid of it is to dig deep and get the rhizomes up, they're like tubers. It maybe worth doing that one day. Then you won't get frustrated with it all. You were funny getting exasperated with them. I feel ya. Native gardening is low maintenance and is good for the environment. The flowers just grow like they do in the wild and there is not much to do other than divide them if they are expanding out too far. We don't have to feed them or do stuff to them, don't have to dead head if you don't want, and don't have to water them once they're established. They attract important pollinators and birds. I love native plants and have been growing them and learning about them over the past couple of years. They're amazing. I encourage everyone to plant Native. ❤
I just want to say that watching you have a mini meltdown while ripping flowers out of your garden while all dolled up in your beautiful dress, just absolutely made my day. 😂 100% Relateable.
To kill invasive plants: find a roofer and ask him for a big piece of black rubber. (roofers tear it off when replacing a roof). Lay that on whatever you want to die. In the sun, it will heat up and cook whatever plant is under it. For super hard to kill perennials, I would leave the rubber on for a whole season. Worked wonders for us!! And what's even better, it is a "lazy" way to kill plants. Beats pulling and pulling. Awesome video, love your gardens!!
Thanks for the advice. We have many flowers you recommended. I would also suggest Sedum. Very, very hardy. Drought , deer and insect resistant. Can divide and give away. Not invasive. Beautiful companion to many perennials.
Really depends where you live. In southern California where i live, you don't water ANY plant, perhaps barring cactus, and it will not survive. Also, perennials here don't die back. I enjoy mine all year in my garden. 😊
Same in Phoenix! Two drought resistant bushes that I actually do not water often though: bougainvillea, and Texas sage (leucophyllum.) Gorgeous and extremely low water! 🌸❇️🌺
The only flowers I plant besides perennials are ones that help my vegetable garden stay healthy and moss rose. The peonies won't bloom without the ants; I learned this the year I shook all the ants off the peonies for my mom, only to find she was dismayed because of it. I do love irises because even the foliage is pretty and I like the spread. I almost never deadhead, and don't do cut flowers most of the time.
Totally DISAGREE about the weed barrier. Cardboard is Great at smothering weeds. Cover with free mulch from an arborist and the worms will eat the cardboard and help feed your dirt. If you later thick enough, it will smother nasty crab grass.
You must live in a magical place that doesn’t have many weeds cause where I live the weeds are horrendous and just putting a little cardboard and mulch down does two things - I’ll let you guess what those are. Every single person here either does weed barrier or they spend hours out in their yard each week and I won’t do that.
Love this! My partner does automatic irrigation which makes our garden sooooo much easier to maintain, i could never handle it if we didnt. The comments are full of so much great gardening advice and experience on top of the lovely video!! I struggle with algae in my pond so i add a capful of a fish safe treatment every couple weeks and its great like so little effort but my water stays clear and my fishies stay happy.
I'm all for lazy girl hacks! I've chosen not to put in flowers the last couple of years because I've been overwhelmed just caring for my 4 kids that are 6 and under. I don't need to keep plants alive, too! But, I love your tips and I think I'm going to start plotting out my garden!
Everyone please don’t just plant and never touch, it will die! Look up native plants in your area and what zone you have before you pick your plants. Give care until they are established about one growing season. Please only use organic fertilizers etc. I recommend some bulbs. Everyone’s garden will be different.
Enjoyed your video. I have most of the flowers you describe. In my 70's and changing over to all perennials. Yes Siberian iris really spread. I bought a reciprocating saw to cut through the roots they are so tight. Deer eating my phlox and sweet peas. Don't forget, lily of the valley is also poisonous. Have been trying to get rid of it for YEARS.
Girl I'm with u. I actually have a spider scream (at least my grandkids say I do), When my husband hears that scream, he knows to come running. Or if I live long enough, he's gonna be the next one to die. 😂😂
We have almost all those flowers in our wildflower garden!! Planted a ton of seeds got in bulk and year after year come back, so beautiful! We’re out in the country on 15 acres 🌲🌳 lots of trees too and huge garden! So grateful 🙏 also, try in the pond, 35% hydrogen peroxide (handle carefully with gloves and eyewear) that’s what we use in our blow up 10ft with filter pump, pool 💦 chlorine is so toxic. And horrible for skin. Also LOVE the front of your home; 😍 been my dream to have a wrap around or at least full front of home, porch. Beautiful. So happy for y’all.
Cas, your videos are always inspiring and relatable! Furthermore, your videos have humor, great advice, and support! I have been watching Diane in Denmark Friday videos here on UA-cam where she gives four-self assignments and she mentioned outdoor activities, so beginner gardening is a great idea! Plus flowers are calming and colorful!
I am not a gardener at all but my Mom and sister are. The only reason why I have any flowers is all credited to them! I love your suggestions and they match up really well with what my mom has planted in my yard. As for the end story, my home growing up had a backyard pool and a fountain in the driveway. My parents were tired of cleaning it so they added chlorine tablets to the fountain as they did the pool. Terrible choice because we kept finding dead crows all over the driveway! LOL Maybe you have dead critters in your pond because of the chlorine? Just a funny live and learn story. Not sure if I have a solution for you, sorry. Thanks for all your awesome videos!
Something I recommend to everyone, Hydrangeas. We have one in our backyard that we got from Sam’s Club 4 years ago. It started as a tiny 2 flower plant. Now it’s about a 4 x 4 bush and is about 4 ft tall. Deer ate almost entire thing in June and it’s completely replenished. Only thing is since they did that we won’t be getting any flowers, but the thing is unkillable.
Same with Hostas. We split one hosta 2 years ago into 10 Hostas and they have completely taken over. We literally took one out of the ground and it is still growing….like the root base is just sitting above ground….
Wow, So nice to hear that u are enjoying ur garden with so little work. Thanks for the info ! I have all the plants that u mentioned. So far I’m working really hard to keep them being eaten by bugs or diseases or groundhogs or rabbits….( no deer with the fence ) . I have been gardening for 4 years now, the grasses for me are the easiest one to attend to. Love ur enthusiasm and I will try to be more relaxed and see what happens… to my garden…thanks for the videos.
Informative and super helpful video. Thank you so much. We moved to a house with a garden a little over 3 years ago. And it's been a nightmare. The first year I was busy settling us in the house that I didn't have time to pay attention to the garden and boy what a mess an unattended garden can do in few months! The second year I focused on removing plants upon plants upon plants that the previous renter planted. It was just too much! Messy structures are just not my style. And this last year, I've been trying to build a garden that works best for us and its been a lot of trial and error and I put way more time, energy and money into it than I would've cared to. I am so excited to implement the tips in this video. Hopefully by the time I am done, I will have a garden that I enjoy and love and am excited to spend time in rather than a dreadful one.
Water features require a lot of maintenance so I’ve avoided the urge to get one. I also agree with you about choosing perennial flowering plants in the landscape & the container “kits” for annuals. Your home is lovely among the pretty landscaping and gorgeous green grass!!
I have a lot of those plants in my garden but my yard is shady and many of them aren’t very happy in the shade. They gripe to reach the sun and get straggly. I also have mums which I love because they bloom from mid to late summer until they are covered in snow. They are super easy. Good luck with the pond!
All you need for the pond is a UV light to kill the green water. Some uv lights are attached and come inside some of the pumps filters -but I have the uv light that stays outside of the pond and the water filters through it and kills the algae. After a few weeks you will have clear water! Instead of pool chemicals, just use a pond conditioner. Such as Fritz pond conditioner. That way you won’t kill the frogs or any fish. If you do that you can throw in some goldfish ( very hardy fish)and they will take care of any mosquito larvae and they make it look pretty. I really hope you do this because it is super easy to do and you can enjoy it year round.
Lily of the valley. Yeah. It makes great ground cover if u have large plot - less mulch. Peonies - after 4 decades just found out the ants do not help open the bloom- they just love the sap! Mulch is $3 a bag here but to buy by the yard is a couple of hundred $$ to deliver. Love the show.
I want lilly of the valley under my cherry tree. Nothing else wants to grow in that shade. And it's a closed area, so whatever tries to spread out of that space, will be mowed over.
Finding out which plants are native to my area and which are invasive has been a gamechanger! I have lovely flowering bushes covered with flowers and they don't need watering! Many are Salvia (sage). I love my yard! * Regarding the pond, I like a balanced ecology, so water plants provide oxygen in the water (as does your waterfall), algae-eater fish and water snails mow the water plants down. I would definitely look for a pond expert who specializes in a self-maintaining circle of life to advise you on how to keep your life SIMPLE!
This info is fabulous!…I am older and every summer I feel worn out chasing after all my outside flowers and plants, keeping them watered…I am definitely taking your list of easy care flowers to my garden center…and yes, yes, yes to more lazy girl guides to homemaking, cooking, organizing and decorating! Thank you so much!!
We have a pondless waterfall, but we get issues with algae and muck. There are items available for both and you need to treat both issues. Get one product for muck and one for algae designed for ponds. However I would first recommend emptying the pond and cleaning it and add fresh water. Ponds are wonderful…sound of water is great. I noticed you do have a little waterfall but it is trickling so might need a new pump or cleaning the area where water flows from might help. Good luck! Love the flower ideas…I love the selection.
Totally agree about ponds - they are time consuming and really, really difficult to keep clean. We filled ours in a few years ago and put in some heuchera plants which are gorgeous, evergreen, perennial and need minimal work - just tidy up any dead looking leaves in the autumn. They come in a large range of colours.
you could start your own brand of Lazy girl stuff. I'm all in for quick and easy and ADHD friendly lazy girl stuff! Lazy girl cooking, lazy girl skin care, lazy girl cleaning, lazy girl grocery shopping, lazy girl laundry, lazy girl wardrobe, etc.
Just a little bit of advice, because I have done this. In the beginning, you do need to water lavender every couple of days. But once it is fully established, that’s when it becomes drought tolerant. However, in the beginning, it definitely needs to be watered. 💜
Love you and your crazy antics, you make me smile! I have a Koi pond that is hand dug and made with love by my granddaughter and me. We have a natural ecosystem with fish, frogs and plants. Everything you have said about your two inherited garden ponds clearly shows that you are not going to be able to manage what could be a beautiful aquatic outdoor life in your own backyard. It’s a gift, you must be a good steward of something, such as this. Please fill them with dirt and plant some ornamental bushes or flowers. Chlorine tablets are for swimming pools, not garden ponds.
Cas: these plants are impossible to kill. Me: tell that to the 2 lavender plants and myriad blanket flowers that I've managed to unalive over the years, may they rest in peace. I have managed to keep an additional 2 lavender plants alive for 2 winters now, but I have given up on blanket flower, because I am weary of planticide.
I killed some lavender bushes too, they were in a pot. Those in pots need to be watered. But I have one planted in soil: that one is alive since 4 years approximately. The problem is, lavender needs pruning and I don't know how to prune it. I killed another lavender bush by cutting away too much of it. This bush, which is alive, I didn't dare to prune. But it becomes a mess if it's not pruned and starts to look unattractive after the second year. I need to learn how to prune it properly.
My lavendar always dies too...Im not sure why. I have plenty of beautiful flowers but some just domt work for me. Roses never do good either so who knows? 😊❤
Great video, thank you. As for the pond, I have been investigating what is needed to maintain them for myself. There are amazing pond enthusiasts on UA-cam. If you decide to leave it as a pond, you will need to get a filter or a 'wet land' filter where you use plants to help with the filtering. Probably add some pond plants such as water lilies or floating (non invasive) plants to shield the pond from the sun and algae. Don't use bleach though! It will unalive every poor creature that falls in or takes a drink. While the pond is still functioning place a branch or something else in as a temporary ramp for critters to use to free themselves with. If the pond is too much work for you, it is probably a good idea to empty the pond, and either transform it into planters or dismantle it altogether and reclaim the area as garden space. PS the 'Lazy Girl' series sounds fun.
Download my FREE Lazy-Girl Flower Garden Guide Here: clutterbug.me/products/flower-garden-guide
What garden zone do you live in?
Cas, you need a bog filter! Google it, there are lots of good tutorials. Its basically a big bucket or tub that you layer large, medium and small rocks in and then run the water through it! It keeps your pond clean without chemicals and you can put cool water plants in the top to make it look cute! Plus you can plant tall grasses around 3 sides and really camouflage it so the yard stays pretty 😊
Thank you! I NEED lazy girl flowers 😅😂
Don't fill it with concrete, fill it with dirt and plant flowers. It's less expensive and if you ever change your mind, you can dig out the dirt.
Loved this video so much, as it was extremely helpful, especially what NOT to plant.
THANK YOU LOVELY LADY!!! 🙏❤️
A whole "lazy-girl" series would be fantastic!
I agree!! Cooking and baking meals and desserts would be amazing!! Also closet organization (show us how you organize yours?) and laundry room set up?
Yes I agree
Absolutely ❤
Someone should start it where different lazy girls can add lazy helpful content…
Cas, the frogs are dying from the chlorine. Please don't put any fish in the pond until you have an expert from a pond company evaluate the pond. That person can give you recommendations on how to clear up the pond and maintain a healthy pond. Make sure you tell him (or her) your requirements, i.e., easy to maintain.
Great advice!! Any thirsty animal, including dogs and cats, cannot drink a from a pond contaminated with chlorine. A proper filter and pump works wonders as does adding plants to increase the oxygen in the water.. there is also beneficial bateria available as an additive!
And tell him/her about the chlorine tablets for sure.
And people don't realize that frogs are dying out in dangerous numbers and that literally the world is in danger of starvation if they all die out.
Thanks for enthusiastically sharing your flower beds and ideas. It would be great to see footage over time as it matures and through out the season as flowers bloom at various times. It depends on property location, circumstances and personal choice ~ I have areas that I want plants to spread for ground cover, just don’t intermingle with mixed flower beds.. Ground cover plants can save weeding time and use of pesticides to control weeds. Also perennials some of which you don’t prefer…. I personally enjoy and those that grow bigger clumps and spread and provide a fuller ~ wall to wall look, which also helps crowd out weeds. I live in the country and even double weed barrier is not full proof prevention but helps a lot.
We've had our pond for 22 years and it nearly takes care of itself, so something is very wrong with yours. NEVER, ever put chlorine in a pond! It kills everything beneficial in it. I don't know what kind of filter you have, but you need a bio-filter. Then you need beneficial bacteria, which is what helps keep the pond clean and clear. Lastly, you need water plants and plenty of them. The more plants, the cleaner the water because they themselves are a filter. I highly recommend you watch any of the Aquascape pond videos, or Oz Pond's YT channel.
For perennials and shrubs, year 1 they sleep, year 2 they creep, and year 3 they leap! Good work.
My mom used to say that. ❤️
😂
Thanks that's super encouraging because a lot of perennials that I've planted this year, like my roses, some phlox, catmint, and dianthus isn't doing so hot, but the phlox I planted last year came back a lot bigger and fuller than it was doing then
I love you! You’re so funny. The weeds! I don’t want to deal with all the work but want the flowers! I loved this vid. Yes lazy girl hacks for everything! The only flowers that came with our house are day Lilly’s! Added bonus, all my flower beds are lined with the liner like you showed- BUT- they have stone instead of mulch. I mean it’s a LOT of stone everywhere. I can’t even replant. Watching you with pulling the green leaves cracked me up! It’s like a full time job! Good to know I’m not alone!! Thanks for all you do!
Just a little tip for Peony lovers. I honestly was just out cutting some from my 8 Peony bushes. Just take a container of water out with you, cut a stem with a flower or bud and swish it in the water. This removes the ants and you can have a beautiful vase of peonies in your home. I always do. Any hacks Cas, would be welcome, "Hi" from the Maritimes, New Brunswick actually.
Yes! Thank you for sharing this! I was thinking that as she was talking about the peonies. I love them! They smell so good!
Yes! ❤ I love peonies, and I do this too to avoid the ants. 😊
Swish the whole flower underwater? That won't hurt it?
@@alissandrasweeney289 In my experience, it doesn't hurt the peony flowers. They are SUPER hardy!! and meet all the criteria that Cas had mentioned for being easy plants to care for. They do have a fairly short flowering for a couple weeks to a month in spring, but you CAN put other flowers with them in the same beds. Just look up "peony companion plants". ...I just double-checked and a few of the companion plants are ones that Cas recommends. Perfect!
Exactly what i do !!!! They are so beautiful no way I'm not bringing them inside 🩷
Love the "Lazy Girl Hacks" theme for a series. As a fellow lazy girl & ladybug, I want all the hacks. Effortless beauty, that's what I want!
I love your lazy garden
Two solutions for your pond dilemma: 1. Put a pump in it; keeping the water moving will eliminate the maintenance. (It probably won't keep dead things out of it, however) 2. Make your pond into a flower garden! I did, and it was the best idea ever! Just drain the water out, fill it with soil, plant it full of some of your fabulous perennial options and enjoy! Susan (not the brown-eyed kind, although I am perennial)
A quick tip, IF you want a flower or plant that spreads via roots, planting them in a container underground would keep them under control
What an awesome tip!
Good for mint
I tried this in my garden for peppermint. Actually, I planted the mint OUTSIDE my raised beds in separate tiny beds. Those dang things sent runners UNDER the partially buried walls of my beds!! When I went to prep my beds the next season and saw how big the root ball inside my garden was (like 1.5 x 3 feet, with runners everywhere), I literally cried. Thankfully, I got it all and it never came back but I'm in a very hot, dry climate. I don't think I would have fared so well anywhere else. Careful with that mint!!
Wow! Great idea!
Great tip!
I really liked your suggestions! EXCEPT...for the non-biodegradable plastic mesh. I moved in with lawn where I wanted a garden. I justdug an edge, laid thick cardboard, planted in holes with enriched soil, mulched, HAVE RARELY SEEN a weed in my lush perennial bed 🌱🌸🐝💗🏵🌿
I came here to say the same thing. Landscape fabric is horrible for the soil. I’ve had good luck with cardboard covered with 2-3 inches of mulch. Please don’t use landscape fabric. I loved the perennial suggestions, just not the recommendation to use landscape fabric.
We've come to the point where weeds grow in the decomposed mulch THROUGH the fabric, so they can't be pulled without tearing up the fabric and mulch. Slowly working on rolling it all up like bad carpeting.
Thanks! This was great! On the pond front - I inherited one as well with my first house. I fought the algae, tried chemicals, & scooped out dead frogs too. It was right in front of my house and looked terrible for FOUR YEARS. One weekend in a fit of frustration/rage I was done. I dug around it, I pulled up all the stones, dug out the pond liner & filled in the hole with sand, then topsoil, then mulch. It took a whole weekend but it was SSSSOOOO worth it! I ended up buying a beautiful garden bench and planter to put there instead and I never regretted it for one second. Plus my daughter, whose window was right next to the pond, ended up sleeping WAY better afterwards. She frequently told me her "froggy friend" woke her up in the night. I just thought she was being cute. NOPE! Turns out there was a frog the size of salad plate living in the pond! Fortunately for him we lived next to an actual pond so he quickly relocated himself to the bigger pond to live his best life. Anyway, moral of the story, if you hate the pond now don't wait a years to build up years of hatred towards it just get rid of it and reuse the stones somewhere else in your landscaping. Best of luck!!!
Pond rehab; scoop out any leaves or solids that are in it. Stop adding chlorine. Increase aeration, and get some fish (even goldfish are fine). Consider getting a pond lily or duck weed. If it’s in really bad shape, drain half the water and replace, wait a day then add fish.
Be careful about adding fish. They have to be fed, but not overfed. They are also prone to be plucked out of the water by birds of prey and other critters.
Depends on the size of the pond and type of fish. If there’s enough biologicals, they need little additional food. We had a pond for years and rarely fed our fish and they thrived. But yes birds, frogs and other predators can eat them, that’s nature.
Goldfish and other types of fish eat algae and other debris. So, that helps keep it clean. You can also add pond bacteria. All ponds are constantly in need of water because the heat and wind cause a lot of evaporation. We have a 20,000 gallon koi pond and we add water every week.
I have been a gardener for over 40 years - yep 4 decades and have even won the Make Your Hometown Beautiful award in our town. I have some tips and other advice - first PEONIES - one of the most beautiful plants in the world - and yes they attract ants but if you rinse the flower gently under cool water you will be fine. Lily of the valley - yes they are invasive - but smell divine - put them in an area of your yard ( I would suggest down where it floods) the smell will be intoxicating - and when they are done blooming - mow them down. Stops the spread too. Now for foxglove ( digitalis) - yes it is toxic but you would need to consume an awful lot of it to ( 6 -8 entire plants ) - technically Foxglove is not a perennial - it is a biennial - meaning it grows one year - flowers and set seeds the second year - You need to plant 2 consecutive years to ensure blooms. It is a beautiful plant - stunning. Now for your daylilies ( we call them sh..t house lilies - historically they were planted in the hole when you moved the outhouse every other year - a clump of lilies - the outhouse had been there). The flower will fall off all by itself ( new blooms should push it off) - they are one of the most prolific plants and the best buys a gardener can purchase. And bonus is daylilies are immune from the Asian lily leaf beetle that will destroy bulb lilies .( and most other flowers when they have finished with the lilies)
All of you are making me want to give day lilies another try!!!
@@Clutterbug Nooooooooooo! Day lilies, Lily of the Valley are invasive. They negatively impact our ecosystems and choke out native plants which insects and pollinators rely on to reproduce. www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Southern-Grow-Me-Instead-1.pdf
Thank you so much for your amazing advice!
Oh, God. Those beetles just polished off what was left of my bulb lilies this year after showing up last year. How do I keep them from destroying the rest of my garden???
@@Clutterbug I love day lilies, but "ditch lilies" are worse than Lily of the Valley for me. And I spent over two hours today just pulling up Lily of the Valley in my flower beds.
Great ideas. Just keep in mind when you’re first starting these plants you do need to water them more until they establish.
This is true! Once they have a good root system though, they are so easy!
I completely agree. I have every plant you mentioned.
Love the lazy girl flower garden tips! I’m a 64 year old grandma that babysits my 2 grandchildren, age 6 and 2, 5 days a week, 9 hours a day. I’m super tired when I get home, so I’m going to re-landscape my flower gardens with easy to maintain plants and flowers. Looking forward to more lazy girl videos!
Birds moved into both of my hanging baskets! A nest in each. Watering them is an adventure.
Yeah same here lol 😂
One summer wrens moved into my most treasured hanging basket (Chlorophytum comosum/airplane plants from my bride's bouquet 44 years ago). I was thrilled and stressed! I carefully raised up their nest by using a thoroughly washed upside down 6oz cat food can (or small tuna can). I was able to keep my plants carefully watered without making their nest soggy.
I was still scolded by mom & dad occasionally when watering, but they fledged 3 healthy babies. 🤗
Had a robin nest and lay her eggs in a FAKE moss wreath on my front door one year. When we realized it, we used the garage to come and go until the eggs hatched and the family departed for the season. Was such fun to sneak up and peek at the babies now and then.
I put wooden bamboo skewers in my ferns to stop the wrens from building in them every year. We live on 5 wooded acres, they can build somewhere else...
I have watched every single one of your videos! But this is the only one I have found to disagree with 😂 Firstly, no chlorine in your pond. That’s why your frogs are dead. You need to have bottom feeders, Koi and snails to keep it clean. Second…..Lily of the Valley and Peonies are my favorite 😂 Lily of the valley won’t venture to bright areas and can be mowed over after flowering (if you hate them) And the ants on the Peonies can be shaken or rinsed off. Both make your house smell amazing! (If you see ants after bringing g in put a trap at the bottom )
How to make a lazy-girl deck or patio would be awesome.
Also, lazy-girl cooking is always appreciated.
Loved the “lazy girl” video. Some great advice. I too would like more suggestions on porch plants.
🪴🌸🍃🌻🌞🐝🦋🌹🌷🎋🌹🌿
Yes please! #lazygirlliving is a perfect series for me. Life’s too short when you wanna have a clutter free life, a beautiful garden, cook & bake all the things, and even do all the self-care all while running around with the family too!
Baking. 14:09 cleaning. And organizing! Lazy girl guides 🎉❤
I love Lilly of the valley, they smell so good and they are not ugly after the blooms stop. Iris are my favorites, so many colors and you can divide and plant more. Daffodils are also great. Hydrangeas are another favorite.
In the south we call cherry tomatoes (Tommy Toes). For your pond buy goldfish by the dozen. Super cheap! They will eat the algae and in winter they will survive under the frozen layer. My husband built a literal moat at our previous home the goldfish loved it! Me not so much but it was beautiful.
All good perennial ideas! ALL the flower perennials you showed do get larger each year and spread a bit, but more importantly they “get legs” and over a few years they’re needing to be replanted to restore visual order in the beds. (Some movement leaves bare spots while crowding in other spots)
Love the hanging pot watering idea!!!
Okay - I happen to love Lily of the Valley. I have a large open area in one garden that I let it grow. The scent is so wonderful. Takes me right back to my childhood. My daylilies are great. They fill up my garden nicely. So, everyone likes something different. :)
You could get a solar fountain to help move the water so it doesn't stay stagnant ( amazon or lowes under 50.00 bucks) . I love mine. Also, some floating water lilies and plants so the frogs can hop in and out of the pond .
No chlorine if you are going to have anything living in there. Install a water filtering system ( it's not that expensive or just bucket out 20 percent every 4 weeks or so , replacing it with fresh clean water. This helps cut the algea . Lilies and other aquatic plants will help with that as well.
Of course, in the worst ( easiest lol) case, empty water out , fill with dirt, and add some of those plants you are talking about . 😅
Thank you for all your great ideas !
Wow Cas - your ‘new’ home - it’s truly gorgeous. Well worth all the planning and waiting 💕🏡
Love the video! FOR YOUR POND: Plants like water lilies and other water plants will shade the water and keep the algae from growing. The sun is what makes the algae grow. Also, fish can feed on the algae. Fish will also eat any mosquito larvae that find their way in. Aeration is also going to be importan - you need a bubbler, waterfall, sprayer, etc. Wherever it seems like mice are falling in, put in a long, small tree branch for them to climb back out.
I love my Lilly of the valley, the prettiest little flower in a vase and so fragrant. Mine has only spread in the area I placed it. The raccoons tore up my Shasta daisies.
Lilly of the valley is great for shady places you want a ground cover. Root system is super dense. Lots of digging to remove that
Cas maybe get/make a little "ramp" for the pond so if animals fall in, they can get out.
I have ledges in my preformed pond- I put big rocks so the toads etc can get OUT
The title alone!!! Omg. Yes yes yes 🙌🏽 I’ll be moving soon and so excited to garden. Moving from an apartment in NY (lived in apartments most of my life) to now owning a home with land. My favorite gardens are flowers that are tall and look like they’ve naturally grown there. Little maintenance sounds amazing!!!! Sign me up for the lazy girl garden. Excited to watch the video. Please be my inspo! ❤🙏🏽
Check out plants native to your area those would be the lowest maintenance.
These were so great! And remember that you are helping the native bees and pollinators when you plant native plants. They survive the best in your area too. To get rid of lily of the valley, Dig up the entire plant, including the roots and rhizomes, because that is how they spread. You can also sink pots or buckets with the bottoms removed into the ground to contain the lily of the valley. I do that because I love them in my spring bouquets, they are so fragrant. Bury cans 6-10" deep, so I use old plastic large coffee cans and just cut the bottoms off. You can also solarize the soil by covering it with clear plastic sheeting and anchoring it with stones, pavers or bricks for a summer. The heat kills the plants and prevents regrowth. 🌱 For the pond: Lazy person tip #1: Install a skimmer bucket to draw in surface debris before it sinks. That will prevent the muck from forming somewhat. A pump sits inside the skimmer, filtering out chunky material before it reaches the pond. This prevents a lot of buildup. Lazy person Tip #2: Aerate the pond using a bottom diffuser or surface aerator like a fountain. You can even buy solar powered ones that float on the surface and use no electricity. Aeration adds oxygen, prevents stagnation, and reduces muck buildup. It's one of the easiest ways to keep a pond healthy.
The key to a healthy attractive, enjoyable patio pond is having a NATURAL balance of organisms such as frogs, fish, plants, and oxygenated water through circulation and filtration. Its also important to embrace the fact that a healthy pond will never look like a pristine swimming pool. No pond is maintenance free, but letting nature do most of the work makes it much easier, while providing a healthy habitat for interesting creatures that appreciate the provisions.
My one word of true caution from experience: NEVER let a Duckweed plant get within 10 feet of your pond! Oy. There is no getting rid of the stuff. We have so much duckweed in our very large in-ground/natural/in-dirt pond that ducks won't even come close to it. Yeesch. Even going completely dry during a drought didn't kill the darn stuff. Major bummer! At least the frogs, turtles, and dragonflies still enjoy the pond, but I miss the wild ducks.
All true! Just bear in mind that ponds are never no-maintenance because there's is no inflow and outflow of freshly- sourced water. Even with an aerator fountain, it's still just recirculated, no matter the size. Pond care is a whole thing, but with algae eaters (a natural, balancing slug-like critter), aeration, plants, shade, and circulation, the right animals will come to it and it will get a lot easier.
Will fish eat duckweed? Also interesting that ducks don't like it..
For the pond, there are filters. Also, I pump my pond out and put new water in occasionally. I need to know how to get rid of choke vines. The vines that look like white morning glories that have gone rogue. Great video! Creeping phlox is beautiful no maintenance plant. After a few years it needs dealing with. Only blooms in the spring.
You actually don't need a pump or filter if you put enough native oxygen plants in the pond. They mostly live submersed and will clean and clear the water for you! Might take a year or to for the natural balance to settle. But no need for chemicals... just please don't poison nature 🙏🏼
🌱One key point about any plant being invasive is that it all depends on where you live!
Here in the western fringe of the southeast Texas Piney Woods, the lovely double daylilies my Dad-in-law planted here on the family farm decades ago are not invasive. They are still slowly spreading and have never gone into world domination phase. They do bloom much more heavily in very heavy rainy seasons like we have had recently, and they likely accelerate their space capture when conditions are most favorable like now. Other than rain, the daylilies are on their own and don't seem to care. There are varieties of daylilies that are known for being "self-cleaning," so they will drop off dead heads and seed pods on their own, but I love seeing the seed pods as being part of the natural process. Sadly, peonies can't survive our summer heat. Some plants are always better left to their own dedicated space so they can flourish and spread with reckless abandon without getting obnoxious about it. 💚
Great video! Thanks for all the great tips!
Your pond should have running water so that the algae, etc. is less likely to grow. Moving water has less chances of being stagnate breading ground for undesirables. There are water plants that help keep the water clearer. Also algae eaters, but it depends on your climates freeze temperature and you may have to bring them in in the winter or get new ones every year. Try using" tank tabs" used by horse owners to keep algae and icky under control, but safe for animals, plants, etc. I hope you are able to get your pond nice . Water in a garden is a soothing and natural calming space for outdoor enjoyment. 💚
These ideas are GOLD! And the printable is the cherry on top! For years, I’ve longed to establish a lush perennial garden and have cut flowers gracing my table, but didn’t know where to start. Like you, I have a black thumb, and I never remember to water or deadhead because of my ADHD. This is the video that changes everything! 😊
Thank you, Cas! Just fill that pond with planting soil and plant more flowers.🌸🌷🏵️🌺🌹🌻🌼💮💠
Agree! I couldn’t manage a water feature.
Good idea!!
What a spectacular idea! It would look beautiful, too. A Flower Pond.
Great idea! ❤
If the liner is still down when they flood it will kill the plants unless you pick flood plain plants as the liner will hold onto some water still and rot roots of whatever was planted. Could get smelly too. So remove the liner first.
We have a water feature in our backyard. It got a crack in it. Instead of taking it out completely we removed just the top portion and turned it into a garden bed. We made sure there was drainage. We got one of those flower bowls from Costco and some marigolds. We left the plants in the container and put rock underneath and soil on top. My husband fertilizes and waters it and for 3 seasons now the flowers populate each spring. It provides a pop of color and I don't have to clean out mosquitoes and rain water anymore.
Lazy Girl hacks would be awesome! For homemaking decluttering...
I love your home and your property and your garden!
Love this new series idea! ❤
As far as the pond goes, maybe hire a pond service to evaluate and balance the pond so that you can take it from there. It’s pretty hard to bring a pond back to being balanced without experience.
Great video idea! I've killed so many lavenders, with and without watering 😑 But scabiosa are great! Mine are in full sun in pots, and doing well. I'd also recommend getting clover going in your lawn. Instant drought-proof greenery that survives the hot spells. But if you have pets, please check which plants / flowers are toxic for them, before you buy.
Appreciate you and your content! Blue pond die is what I use. We have 4 big ponds and they were a nighmare. It turns the water blue and reflects the sun off which greatly controlled the nasty, green, murkey, slimy mess. We treat 1x a year and thats it! Dont stress those little pond critters will be back before you know it Cass.
Bring on the lazy girl hacks! After 40 years of keeping a home & yard, I'm ready for less work 😊
I live on the Saskatchewan prairies, and our summers are frequently semi-desert, as in very hot and dry. I got so sick of fussing with flowers, that I decided to grow a succulent garden. It is easy and so very pretty!! I also grow sunflowers in the backyard. They self-seed. Very easy, but they can be a lot of work to chop down in the fall. These are also wonderful ideas that are so helpful to continue my no-fuss gardening.
Yes to more lazy girl content!
Can’t even tell you how much I appreciated watching this video!
After hours of pro flower gardeners telling me their ’easy’ cut flower garden picks. I stumbled upon this video and had a Lucy-VanPeltz-that’s-it moment.
Unkillable plants I can plant once and cut flowers from ever year. Exactly what I want. Thanks!
Cas, to plan for your vegetable garden next year, you might like the book "The Autopilot Garden" by Luke Marion. I've watched his UA-cam channel MIgardener for years, and his autopilot techniques for less work are right up your alley!
Also, I have many of the flowers you mentioned in the first half of the video, and I got most of them for free from my mom's boss' yard. Many of them are still going strong over 20 years later!
Yes! Lazy girl cleaning, decorating, exercising!!!! Please! I'm an obliger and for some reason you're the only person I like listening to on UA-cam. I'd love a clean with me video that I can work along side with 😁
Yes to the exercises! That would be so fun!
Use mulch without landscape fabric to eliminate use of plastic sheeting. Healthier for your soil too. I agree with day lilies, don’t like ‘em. As for the invasive lily of the valley, don’t let it get out of control like you have it. Dig it out and don’t give up. May take a while but worth the effort so you can put in something you like. You shouldn’t have a pond if you don’t enjoy caring for it. You could clean it and refill, put in Summit Clear water straw pond treatment. Actually, if you are “lazy,” have a simpler yard landscape. Thanks, I enjoyed your video.
I love Lily of the Valley! So pretty. I just put it in its own garden!
If you have a husband that likes to build tons of planters but can't keep anything alive, plant Lily of the Valley. At least it's green and not a dust bowl like our other beds!
Mulch over landscape fabric will eventually break down and turn into soil. Weeds will grow into mulch as it breaks down. The only time I use landscape fabric is if I am putting rock down. But I love all your good advice on low maintenance flower beds
Absolutely! Bring them on. I am a pastor's wife, and homeschooling mom of 7 and need more ideas for saving time around the house.
Do you mean you have 7 children?? 7?? 😳
@cassthompson3386 Yes. I am a mother of seven. We have four boys and three girls. Ots not as scarry as it sounds. They are well-behaved, mostly, and a lot of fun.
@@thechattyhomemaker My question wasn't meant to be rude or condescending or anything. I love kids. It's just hard for me to imagine how you manage your time.
Mulch yes, landscape fabric only stops stuff from below it cannot stop debris and seeds building up above. The previous owners of our house did this and roots of some invasive plants (I'm UK so bindweed) love spreading beneath and now we are paying the price trying to rip it all out.
Also it's non stop raining in the UK at the moment so my lavender is dying 😥
Clean your pond with the correct plants. Don't fill it, if the pond is healthy it basically looks after itself. Lily is not a bad idea!
i like how people always say no maintenance, but i kind a like pottering in my garden, tending to my plants, watch them grow...give slugs swimming lessons, prune my fruit and see how they reward me, it's my haven after work, turn brain off and pull weeds, it's super calming and stress relieving in my opinion. the daisies get eaten by slugs, so do the coneflowers and most important for me is that they're safe for my cats, so no lillies and many many others don't make the cut ;-) lavenders need to be pruned hard for it to thrive
Giving slugs swimming lessons...😂
Slugs (or maybe snails?) like to eat hostas too, unfortunately.
Many of these plants are NOT or rabbit resistant, most of all hostas.
I love your channel.
You made really nice plant choices. The quite a few of your flowers are native to the States which is great.
The plants you said you hated or didn't want in your garden is a good thing as they are all non native anyway.
Lily of the valley is wicked, it is so invasive. The only way to get rid of it is to dig deep and get the rhizomes up, they're like tubers. It maybe worth doing that one day. Then you won't get frustrated with it all. You were funny getting exasperated with them. I feel ya.
Native gardening is low maintenance and is good for the environment. The flowers just grow like they do in the wild and there is not much to do other than divide them if they are expanding out too far. We don't have to feed them or do stuff to them, don't have to dead head if you don't want, and don't have to water them once they're established. They attract important pollinators and birds. I love native plants and have been growing them and learning about them over the past couple of years. They're amazing.
I encourage everyone to plant Native. ❤
I just want to say that watching you have a mini meltdown while ripping flowers out of your garden while all dolled up in your beautiful dress, just absolutely made my day. 😂 100% Relateable.
😂❤️
To kill invasive plants: find a roofer and ask him for a big piece of black rubber. (roofers tear it off when replacing a roof).
Lay that on whatever you want to die. In the sun, it will heat up and cook whatever plant is under it. For super hard to kill perennials, I would leave the rubber on for a whole season. Worked wonders for us!!
And what's even better, it is a "lazy" way to kill plants. Beats pulling and pulling.
Awesome video, love your gardens!!
Love the scent of Lilly of the Valley 😊
Thanks for the advice. We have many flowers you recommended. I would also suggest Sedum. Very, very hardy. Drought , deer and insect resistant. Can divide and give away. Not invasive. Beautiful companion to many perennials.
Really depends where you live. In southern California where i live, you don't water ANY plant, perhaps barring cactus, and it will not survive. Also, perennials here don't die back. I enjoy mine all year in my garden. 😊
Agree here in the Pacific Northwest, if you don’t water everything dies. Finally put everything on irrigation and it’s way more efficient.
Same in Phoenix! Two drought resistant bushes that I actually do not water often though: bougainvillea, and Texas sage (leucophyllum.) Gorgeous and extremely low water! 🌸❇️🌺
The only flowers I plant besides perennials are ones that help my vegetable garden stay healthy and moss rose. The peonies won't bloom without the ants; I learned this the year I shook all the ants off the peonies for my mom, only to find she was dismayed because of it. I do love irises because even the foliage is pretty and I like the spread. I almost never deadhead, and don't do cut flowers most of the time.
Totally DISAGREE about the weed barrier. Cardboard is Great at smothering weeds. Cover with free mulch from an arborist and the worms will eat the cardboard and help feed your dirt. If you later thick enough, it will smother nasty crab grass.
Yes and weed barrier doesn’t help to improve the soil
You must live in a magical place that doesn’t have many weeds cause where I live the weeds are horrendous and just putting a little cardboard and mulch down does two things - I’ll let you guess what those are. Every single person here either does weed barrier or they spend hours out in their yard each week and I won’t do that.
So you can say “I totally DISAGREE with you.”
@@debgal26 Only use barrier if you don't plan to plant on that soil.
Why you can't believe everything you see on UA-cam. Professionals say NOT to use weed barrier.
Love this! My partner does automatic irrigation which makes our garden sooooo much easier to maintain, i could never handle it if we didnt.
The comments are full of so much great gardening advice and experience on top of the lovely video!!
I struggle with algae in my pond so i add a capful of a fish safe treatment every couple weeks and its great like so little effort but my water stays clear and my fishies stay happy.
Thanks for sharing!
I'm all for lazy girl hacks! I've chosen not to put in flowers the last couple of years because I've been overwhelmed just caring for my 4 kids that are 6 and under. I don't need to keep plants alive, too! But, I love your tips and I think I'm going to start plotting out my garden!
Keeping 4 kids alive is fantastic!
We live in the south, and our daylillies last more than day. They do close up at night but reopen in the morning.
Everyone please don’t just plant and never touch, it will die! Look up native plants in your area and what zone you have before you pick your plants. Give care until they are established about one growing season. Please only use organic fertilizers etc. I recommend some bulbs. Everyone’s garden will be different.
You're my kind of gardener: low maintenance, drought hardy, beautiful perennials!
Love the Lazy Girl idea! Decorating would be a fun video.
Enjoyed your video. I have most of the flowers you describe. In my 70's and changing over to all perennials. Yes Siberian iris really spread. I bought a reciprocating saw to cut through the roots they are so tight. Deer eating my phlox and sweet peas. Don't forget, lily of the valley is also poisonous. Have been trying to get rid of it for YEARS.
You kill me, kneeling in the dirt and gardening in a dress!! I would die if a spider attacked me 😂
Hilarious 🤣
Dying 😅
Girl I'm with u. I actually have a spider scream (at least my grandkids say I do), When my husband hears that scream, he knows to come running. Or if I live long enough, he's gonna be the next one to die. 😂😂
We have almost all those flowers in our wildflower garden!! Planted a ton of seeds got in bulk and year after year come back, so beautiful! We’re out in the country on 15 acres 🌲🌳 lots of trees too and huge garden! So grateful 🙏 also, try in the pond, 35% hydrogen peroxide (handle carefully with gloves and eyewear) that’s what we use in our blow up 10ft with filter pump, pool 💦 chlorine is so toxic. And horrible for skin.
Also LOVE the front of your home; 😍 been my dream to have a wrap around or at least full front of home, porch. Beautiful. So happy for y’all.
Cas, your videos are always inspiring and relatable! Furthermore, your videos have humor, great advice, and support! I have been watching Diane in Denmark Friday videos here on UA-cam where she gives four-self assignments and she mentioned outdoor activities, so beginner gardening is a great idea! Plus flowers are calming and colorful!
I am not a gardener at all but my Mom and sister are. The only reason why I have any flowers is all credited to them! I love your suggestions and they match up really well with what my mom has planted in my yard.
As for the end story, my home growing up had a backyard pool and a fountain in the driveway. My parents were tired of cleaning it so they added chlorine tablets to the fountain as they did the pool. Terrible choice because we kept finding dead crows all over the driveway! LOL
Maybe you have dead critters in your pond because of the chlorine? Just a funny live and learn story. Not sure if I have a solution for you, sorry. Thanks for all your awesome videos!
Cas PLEASE share more like the free download of the herbs pot. I want one SO bad. Tell me ALL the secrets to make it stay alive and work.
Something I recommend to everyone, Hydrangeas. We have one in our backyard that we got from Sam’s Club 4 years ago. It started as a tiny 2 flower plant. Now it’s about a 4 x 4 bush and is about 4 ft tall. Deer ate almost entire thing in June and it’s completely replenished. Only thing is since they did that we won’t be getting any flowers, but the thing is unkillable.
Same with Hostas. We split one hosta 2 years ago into 10 Hostas and they have completely taken over. We literally took one out of the ground and it is still growing….like the root base is just sitting above ground….
You can garden as a renter too! From a simple herb box in a sunny window, to having your shade loving tropical plants on a north facing balcony.
Wow, So nice to hear that u are enjoying ur garden with so little work. Thanks for the info ! I have all the plants that u mentioned. So far I’m working really hard to keep them being eaten by bugs or diseases or groundhogs or rabbits….( no deer with the fence ) . I have been gardening for 4 years now, the grasses for me are the easiest one to attend to. Love ur enthusiasm and I will try to be more relaxed and see what happens… to my garden…thanks for the videos.
Lazy anything videos are great! I would love lazy cooking ideas for when it’s hot out and I don’t want to heat up the house with the oven or stove.
Of you are that lazy hire a gardener.
Informative and super helpful video. Thank you so much. We moved to a house with a garden a little over 3 years ago. And it's been a nightmare. The first year I was busy settling us in the house that I didn't have time to pay attention to the garden and boy what a mess an unattended garden can do in few months! The second year I focused on removing plants upon plants upon plants that the previous renter planted. It was just too much! Messy structures are just not my style. And this last year, I've been trying to build a garden that works best for us and its been a lot of trial and error and I put way more time, energy and money into it than I would've cared to. I am so excited to implement the tips in this video. Hopefully by the time I am done, I will have a garden that I enjoy and love and am excited to spend time in rather than a dreadful one.
You are reading my mind again. I want a garden but I'm not sure where to start.
Water features require a lot of maintenance so I’ve avoided the urge to get one. I also agree with you about choosing perennial flowering plants in the landscape & the container “kits” for annuals. Your home is lovely among the pretty landscaping and gorgeous green grass!!
Love this gardening video. As an ADHD butterfly, it's out of sight out of mind, but I love flowers..
Haha same here I just took notes and will try them all!
I have a lot of those plants in my garden but my yard is shady and many of them aren’t very happy in the shade. They gripe to reach the sun and get straggly. I also have mums which I love because they bloom from mid to late summer until they are covered in snow. They are super easy. Good luck with the pond!
All you need for the pond is a UV light to kill the green water. Some uv lights are attached and come inside some of the pumps filters -but I have the uv light that stays outside of the pond and the water filters through it and kills the algae. After a few weeks you will have clear water! Instead of pool chemicals, just use a pond conditioner. Such as Fritz pond conditioner. That way you won’t kill the frogs or any fish. If you do that you can throw in some goldfish ( very hardy fish)and they will take care of any mosquito larvae and they make it look pretty. I really hope you do this because it is super easy to do and you can enjoy it year round.
Lily of the valley. Yeah. It makes great ground cover if u have large plot - less mulch. Peonies - after 4 decades just found out the ants do not help open the bloom- they just love the sap!
Mulch is $3 a bag here but to buy by the yard is a couple of hundred $$ to deliver. Love the show.
I love lilly of the valley,❤ its perfect under trees like a woodland carpet
I know, broke my heart to see her yanking them all up and stomping on them. Probably can’t stand the idea of a weed in her yard either.
I want lilly of the valley under my cherry tree. Nothing else wants to grow in that shade. And it's a closed area, so whatever tries to spread out of that space, will be mowed over.
Finding out which plants are native to my area and which are invasive has been a gamechanger! I have lovely flowering bushes covered with flowers and they don't need watering! Many are Salvia (sage). I love my yard! * Regarding the pond, I like a balanced ecology, so water plants provide oxygen in the water (as does your waterfall), algae-eater fish and water snails mow the water plants down. I would definitely look for a pond expert who specializes in a self-maintaining circle of life to advise you on how to keep your life SIMPLE!
A lazy girl series would make my butterfly heart so happy 😁🦋
Yay!
This info is fabulous!…I am older and every summer I feel worn out chasing after all my outside flowers and plants, keeping them watered…I am definitely taking your list of easy care flowers to my garden center…and yes, yes, yes to more lazy girl guides to homemaking, cooking, organizing and decorating! Thank you so much!!
About mulch… it attracts bugs to nest in, especially roaches.
We have a pondless waterfall, but we get issues with algae and muck. There are items available for both and you need to treat both issues. Get one product for muck and one for algae designed for ponds. However I would first recommend emptying the pond and cleaning it and add fresh water. Ponds are wonderful…sound of water is great. I noticed you do have a little waterfall but it is trickling so might need a new pump or cleaning the area where water flows from might help. Good luck! Love the flower ideas…I love the selection.
If you add a little ramp to get out of the pond there should be fewer dead animals because now they won't drown.
Totally agree about ponds - they are time consuming and really, really difficult to keep clean. We filled ours in a few years ago and put in some heuchera plants which are gorgeous, evergreen, perennial and need minimal work - just tidy up any dead looking leaves in the autumn. They come in a large range of colours.
Thanks for the tip!
you could start your own brand of Lazy girl stuff. I'm all in for quick and easy and ADHD friendly lazy girl stuff! Lazy girl cooking, lazy girl skin care, lazy girl cleaning, lazy girl grocery shopping, lazy girl laundry, lazy girl wardrobe, etc.
Thank you!!! Anything you bring to us will be greatly appreciated! You need fish, minnows.
Cas, Drain the pond, Fill with soil, plant more flowers! Don’t let that stress you out for another minute! xo
Just a little bit of advice, because I have done this. In the beginning, you do need to water lavender every couple of days. But once it is fully established, that’s when it becomes drought tolerant. However, in the beginning, it definitely needs to be watered. 💜
I needed this video!! I’m all about lazy girl hacks!
Love you and your crazy antics, you make me smile!
I have a Koi pond that is hand dug and made with love by my granddaughter and me. We have a natural ecosystem with fish, frogs and plants. Everything you have said about your two inherited garden ponds clearly shows that you are not going to be able to manage what could be a beautiful aquatic outdoor life in your own backyard. It’s a gift, you must be a good steward of something, such as this. Please fill them with dirt and plant some ornamental bushes or flowers. Chlorine tablets are for swimming pools, not garden ponds.
Keeping aquatics (like everything) is akin to the decluttering she is soooo dang good at: it takes better understanding and practice.
Cas: these plants are impossible to kill.
Me: tell that to the 2 lavender plants and myriad blanket flowers that I've managed to unalive over the years, may they rest in peace. I have managed to keep an additional 2 lavender plants alive for 2 winters now, but I have given up on blanket flower, because I am weary of planticide.
Lol, I've killed so many of the ones she says you can't kill. 😂
@@GoingGreenMom. Same! I had a good laugh at her comments. I look forward to seeing her thoughts on gardening next year. 😂😂😂
I killed some lavender bushes too, they were in a pot. Those in pots need to be watered. But I have one planted in soil: that one is alive since 4 years approximately. The problem is, lavender needs pruning and I don't know how to prune it. I killed another lavender bush by cutting away too much of it. This bush, which is alive, I didn't dare to prune. But it becomes a mess if it's not pruned and starts to look unattractive after the second year. I need to learn how to prune it properly.
I basically gave up on buying lavender. I plant in my garden. It never ever comes back...
My lavendar always dies too...Im not sure why. I have plenty of beautiful flowers but some just domt work for me. Roses never do good either so who knows? 😊❤
Great video, thank you. As for the pond, I have been investigating what is needed to maintain them for myself. There are amazing pond enthusiasts on UA-cam. If you decide to leave it as a pond, you will need to get a filter or a 'wet land' filter where you use plants to help with the filtering. Probably add some pond plants such as water lilies or floating (non invasive) plants to shield the pond from the sun and algae. Don't use bleach though! It will unalive every poor creature that falls in or takes a drink. While the pond is still functioning place a branch or something else in as a temporary ramp for critters to use to free themselves with. If the pond is too much work for you, it is probably a good idea to empty the pond, and either transform it into planters or dismantle it altogether and reclaim the area as garden space. PS the 'Lazy Girl' series sounds fun.