Plant vegetables and herbs near your back or front door. Since you'll see them often, you'll remember to keep them watered. And they'll be nearby when you need dinner fixings.
Work in compost, manure or dried peat moss for nutrient-rich planting beds. Amended soil is lighter, drains well, makes for easy weeding and allows roots to establish themselves more quickly.
Stash a spare set of hand tools and garden twine in a waterproof container in your garden. That way, when you spot weeds, broken rose canes or a stem that needs tying up
Nourish gardens and containers with time-release fertilizers that continue feeding for long periods of time. That way, you won't have to fertilize as frequently.
When you can't get anything to grow beneath trees or along fences, set up a multi-tiered container garden in the shady location.
Wait to prune evergreens such as yews and boxwood until they've produced most of their new growth. As a result, you won't have to prune them again until next year.
Add fresh mulch to your gardens every year. A 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch keeps weeds from sprouting and helps the soil retain water, so you'll be weeding and watering less often.
Divide and transplant hostas as soon as you see leaf tips breaking through the ground—since the stems and leaves have yet to unfurl, it'll be easy to cut the root-ball with a serrated knife.