To get the most from your participation in the challenge complete the on-boarding steps below.
None of this is compulsory. The point of all this is to have fun and to let the world know that we are taking pro-active steps to improve our gardens in a responsible and sustainable way.
Step 1: Share Your Makeover Participation on Facebook
Let your friends, family and groups know that you’ve taken up the challenge to create a better environment for yourself and future generations. Encourage them to Like and Share your participation. And challenge them to participate as well.
Please tag the Wildflower Makeover Challenge Group when sharing. Doing this will help us spread the word about the importance of going more indigenous.
Step 2: Introduce Yourself To The Group
You can share your personal wall post from Step 1 with the makeover group. Alternatively, just pop into the group and say “Hi”.
Step 3: Calculate Your Indigenous Score
You are aiming for a positive indigenous score, but it’s perfectly normal to start with a depressingly high negative score.
Make a list of all the plants in your garden. Don’t over complicate this. If you have large areas of the same plant, say ground covers or lawn, guesstimate the square meters and count every square meter as 5 plants.
If you have fruit trees and/or a vegetable garden that you want to keep, don’t score them. If you don’t want to keep them, score them the same as exotics.
Divide your plants into five groups and add up your total score:
- Indigenous plants – score yourself +5 (plus 5) points for every indigenous plant
- Exotic plants – score yourself -3 (minus 3) points for every exotic plant
- Lawn area – score yourself -15 (minus 15) for every square meter of lawn (a guesstimate is fine)
- Unknown – score yourself -3 (minus 3) for every unknown plant
- Invasive aliens – score yourself -15 (minus 15) for every invasive alien
Step 4: Set an Indigenous Score Improvement Goal
It is easier to tackle your makeover in 3 month chunks. Don’t be over ambitious. Aim for just a 10% – 20% improvement in your score every 3 months.
Step 5: Create an Simple 3 – 5 Step Score Improvement Plan
List the first 3 to 5 steps that you’ll have to take. Keep it simple and achievable. Don’t try and do every thing at once. Balance your activities between adding plus points (indigenous plants) and eliminating minus points (replacing invasive aliens and exotics.)
It’s also a lot easier to tackle your makeover one area at a time. This helps prevent costly mistakes on a large scale and it will build your confidence and experience.
Step 6: Share Your Score, Goal and Plan With The Facebook Group
Share the results of steps 3 – 5 with the Makeover Challenge Group. Don’t be shy to ask for help and/or input. That’s why the group is there.
Step 7: Consider Hiring a Makeover Coach (Gauteng Only)
Just like a personal trainer drastically improves your success when embarking on a fitness program, so will a makeover coach help improve your success.
Most of the decisions and actions you’ll be taking will have long term consequences. Having a makeover coach ensures that you make the right decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
Step 8: Have Fun and A Sharing Mindset
Gardening is not a spectator sport. Do we need to say more? Just go out and do it.