Gardening is a fulfilling, creative pastime, but for many novices, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. It’s often best to concentrate on a few tried and trusted gardening tips to start making the most of your garden. Here in this article, discover some of the best top tips for maintaining your garden throughout the months of the year!
Garden Soil Maintenance
When it comes to your garden soil, it is important that you check and maintain it throughout the year. Check the soil with a kit or wait until it has rained- if the soil clumps together, feels heavy, and clings to gardening equipment, it’s clay. A light, sandy loam usually drains fast, leaving the soil easy to dig. The type of soil generally determines which plants should flourish. You’ll find a fantastic choice for all soils, but a few examples for clay include lilies, lilac, weigela, and potentilla. A soil that drains quickly is preferred by geraniums, lavender, buddleia, and rosemary, and acidic soil is ideal for daffodils, heather, azalea, and rhododendron.
Sunshine Versus Shade
The sunshine versus shade ratio is another key element when it comes to maintaining your garden. Observe how the sun and shade move across your garden during the day as it influences your choice of plants. If it’s predominantly shady, plants such as hostas, ferns, foxgloves, and primroses will adore the gentle conditions. A garden that enjoys full sun is ideal for lavender, coneflower, and marigolds. However, there’s plenty of flexibility in gardening. Plants that prefer shade can still thrive in a hot, sunny garden if you choose a sheltered spot where they are protected from the afternoon sun.
Essential Gardening Equipment
Beginners should start with a small selection of essential garden equipment, which can be found from a range of online stores like Keplin Group. A basic tool kit should include a fork for breaking up the soil and lifting established plants. Spades can be very heavy to handle, particularly in clay soil. You should choose one with a handle length that makes it comfortable to use- it is also worth noting that ladies’ spades are usually lightweight and proportionally smaller. A hand trowel is essential for digging small holes and planting bulbs, and a pair of secateurs and a pruning saw are necessary for keeping plants and woody shrubs under control. It’s usually more cost-effective to purchase high-quality tools rather than inexpensive versions as they can often last a lifetime.
Planting And Watering Top Tips
When it comes to planting and watering, it’s far easier to wait until damp weather to begin planting. Plants settle much faster when there’s a reliable water supply below the soil’s surface. Many plants fail due to water being trickled only on top of the soil where the roots can’t reach it. Helpful garden tips include digging a hole and pouring half a liter of water into it. When the plant is firmed in, its roots will easily find the water. However, all new plants should be watered daily for around a week to help them establish themselves.
Controlling Pests In The Garden
It’s kinder for wildlife and the environment if you rely on natural pest control. Slug pellets are fatal for creatures or pets who eat poisoned slugs. Instead, adopt a pair of hedgehogs from a sanctuary, and they’ll happily clear your garden of slugs and snails. Create a pond for frogs and toads, and they’ll do the same job. Encourage birds as they love eating aphids that attack soft shoots. Hand weeding is always more effective than weed killers, removing the roots of invasive plants and preventing them from growing back.
A Guide To Compost
Gardens are never short of surplus vegetation. Mix layers of green and woody material into a heap behind a screen of shrubs, and it eventually rots down. It provides a supply of compost you can use as a mulch or to enrich the soil. However, never disturb your compost heap in the autumn, as it provides a cozy home for hibernating amphibians and hedgehogs.
Lawn Maintenance
A lush green lawn starts with weekly trims throughout the growing season. It needs regular weeding to keep daisies and dandelions at bay. A healthy lawn must have oxygen to thrive too, so if the soil appears hard and compacted, spike the surface with a fork to help it breathe. Apply organic fertilizer in spring and summer. In the autumn, use a spring tine rake to comb out debris that could choke the grass.
