As a tenant, even though it is a great idea to want to maintain a rental property garden and lawn, it is important to check the law of the area you are residing in. It is possible digging or trying to alter the landscape of the property violates the rental agreement. Therefore, get permission from your landlord before doing anything. You are trying to beautify the property but that is not a strong argument to win a lawsuit.
If in spite of this, you are still interested in maintaining a garden and lawn in your apartment without violating your contract agreement with the landlord, good for you! Because we are about to discuss 5 awesome ideas to maintain a garden and lawn.
Prune the Old Garden/Plant In Pots
Luckily or peradventure there is a garden already on the property when you moved in. They might not really be what you want but it is better to maintain them than planting a new one. Moreover, you may need to get your landlord permission to do that too.
Save yourself the stress and money, prune the old garden instead and remove the things you do not want.
But what if there is no garden already in place or you will like to plant something you prefer and the landlord agrees.
As a tenant, the fact that your landlord allows you to plant on the lawn does not mean you should do it with no caution. You might not be staying in the apartment for a long time. What then is the essence of spending a lot on a garden you may be unable to move along with you while packing out.
Your landlord may decide not to allow you to take away any plant on the lawn ie those you dig the soil to plant. To avoid having your stress and money all gone, plant in a pot instead.
Pots can be easily moved along with you to the next apartment and the landlord cannot lay any claim whatsoever on them. This method will also save you the time and money that might be needed to be invested in testing the soil and improving it for your garden plan.
Study the Tree in Relation to the Plant Position
That sounds like a class in Mathematics or Physics. Anyway, it is not as difficult as any of those. When you are planning to fertilize your lawn and plant, consider the shade cast by the tree (if you have one). It is normal for a plant under the shade to grow less faster compared to those directly exposed to the sunlight.
Do not because of this apply lots of fertilizer to help them make up. Such action does nothing than kill the plant instead. Plants under a shade need less fertilizer since they do not grow much as those in the sun. Also, remember this when you are wetting the garden and lawn grass. Those under the shade will need less water.
Use Automated Watering System
Use polymer crystals in potting soil whenever you are planting in a container. It reduces water loss and thus the need for subsequently watering. But there is an ultimate method to reduce the stress of doing the job of repeatedly watering the plant yourself.
Leverage the power of technology in your lawn and gardening maintenance by installing an automated watering system in to save watering time.
You do not have to worry even when you will be away for a while provided there is enough water in the reservoir the system can draw from. Just set the timer and watering time, it will do the rest of the task itself.
Add Some Accessories
We all know there is special feeling in making our garden and lawn look like they really belong to us ― at least for the main time we will be occupying the house. Get some garden statues that are lightweight. You can easily take them along with you in case you will be moving.
If you are the spiritual type, you can consider the cherubim statue or birds. Just pick something you can easily relate with.
There are also portable fountains that can be easily added to the garden without having to work much on the lawn. In case you might be thinking of passing some time on the lawn especially at night, consider installing some lightning. You can also use the idea during a celebration such as Christmas and Halloween.
The wall of the garden is another thing that can be improved to bring out the beauty of your garden and lawn. Paint the fence with a color you are comfortable with or a color that perfectly blends with your new choice of plants.
Work on The Patio and Do Some Lawn-Edging
Let us assume you have implemented all of the ideas we have been discussing so far and now discover the problem why your lawn and garden is not looking attractive is because of the patio. You have a solution, get it all out and replace with something better, hun! Good luck, because that will probably not end well with your landlord.
Even if the landlord allows such, you still cannot take the replacements along with you if when leaving. Instead, cover it with interlocking deck tiles. Choose the built material that suits the design you want ― wood, stone or porcelain.
They are arranged without the need for any adhesive to hold them in place. Therefore, you can easily remove and take them with you if you are leaving.
Also, you can use the natural edging method for your lawn instead of investing in expensive edging methods like plastic and concrete. You only need to line the lawn edges with some pot plants.
Conclusion
As much as it is important to make sure as a tenant that the contractual agreement with the landlord is not violated, the caution should not prevent you from having a lawn or garden of your choice. This is why any or all of these five ideas discussed so far can help you create something you want and at the same time can be easily moved when packing.
