Getting green fingered and spending time in your garden is a great past-time. Not only is it relaxing, but you can also benefit from beautiful flowers and even provide your own food. Here we discuss some gardening tips for beginners to help you get started.
Choose plants carefully
Even if you have a strong idea of what plants you want in your garden, always check if they are suitable for your soil type. Certain plants suit light and sandy soils whilst others prefer heavy and clay-based. If you still don’t know what to do, have a look at your neighbours garden for inspiration. If they look good in their garden, they will probably be suitable for your garden as well.
Space out your plants
Although you want to ensure the flowers and plants grow as groups to look better, you must ensure you plant them with sufficient room to grow. If you don’t they will be forced to fight for the available space which will lead to some of them dying. They will also need watering more regularly and more fertilisation to aid growth. The plant labels let you know how much space they require when planting. If you do not stick to the advice, you are also making them more susceptible to diseases.
Plan Ahead
It's tempting to buy lots of nice plants when you see them online or at garden centres however before buying anything, ensure you have a plan in mind. Measure the space you are planting so that you can buy plants in the correct quantity. Having a plan also allows you to visualise your garden and will help you decide which plants will look nice next to each other.
Label
One of the most common mistakes new gardeners make is not to label what they have planted where. This makes it very difficult to plant new items as you will be unsure where you have already planted. Write labels yourself. Alternatively use the labels that come with the plants that you can stick into the soil.
Don’t overwater
Plants outside do not need watering as much as indoor plants. Although you should keep on top of the task, don’t overwater as it can do more harm than good. Check the weather forecast each day. If its meant to rain that day, avoid watering the plants in the morning. Plants in the soil will maintain some moisture anyway which they can access easily. However, plants in flower beds will maintain more moisture than containers. Therefore water potted plants a bit more liberally.
Keep on top of weeds
Weeds are a gardener’s enemy. You will need to weed regularly to keep them under control. When removing them, ensure you remove their roots as well, otherwise
Be Creative
Gardening is meant to be fun. It is a great way to express yourself so enjoy picking your plants. When creating floral displays think about the following
The colour of the plant- do you have specific colour schemes in mind
Mix it up with evergreens- try and think about your garden all year round. Try and plant things that will still look nice in the winter months
Height- plant height is also important. Check the estimated height of the flowers before your plant. For example, alliums can grow tall so ensure they are placed near the back of your flower displays so it doesn’t obstruct the smaller plants.
Decorations- Don’t just think about the plants themselves, have fun choosing the containers, and other decorations like solar lights, water features, bird feeders and much more.
Gardening is not an exact science and it takes some practice. Even experienced gardeners will make mistakes so the best thing is to start and learn more as you go. Over time you will understand which plants are best for your garden and what gardening methods work best for you.
