Plant Gardens 101

How do you start gardening is quite a common question.
The answer is simply to have a go. It is like most things, if you don’t try you will never succeed.

1. But you have to be born with green fingers?
It is inevitable that some people will be better than others. That goes for most things in life. You can have enjoyment picking out a tune on a piano without having to play a Beethoven concerto. The same is true of gardening.

2. I like to plant and create but all I seem to do is weed and deadhead.
This is a common complaint but the weeding and deadheading, in other words maintenance can be so relaxing. Once planted, a garden needs time to mature and it needs some tender loving care to attain the best results. Don’t make it hard work and tackle large areas all at one go and mix up the jobs. Working like a Trojan weeding the whole garden in a day can be very tiring and although you will see the fruits of your labour it can produce a mental barrier for the next time. Take it slowly and it might surprise you how your mind drifts off onto other things. It is called relaxing your mind. You begin to work out many things that are subconsciously worrying you. (more…)

In recent years there has been a move towards planting up more containers in the garden. At one time the only container gardening was the occasional hanging basket.

More people have transport and more disposable income that enables them to visit the big horticultural shows. To see garden designers using containerised plants on their stands or small garden plots creates the desire to copy. Garden makeover programs on television also tend to include a selection of containers.

If all you have is a small back yard that is paved, hanging baskets and containers can brighten up this area and totally transform the space if done right. (more…)