Guest Author - Hellie T.

The first tip may sound simple and easy but it is very important - enjoy your gardening and your garden.

Take your time when planning a garden - you can always fill spaces with annuals until you are sure of what you want.

Plant plants that will do well in your garden. Do some research - visit local nurseries and local gardens - note what grows well.


Remember to look for plants at local fetes or garden/garage sales as these will be alot cheaper than garden centre ones - swap cuttings or seeds with nearby neighbours and/or friends.(If they have enough seeds/plants to swap you can be sure their plant is growing well).

Divide your garden into areas and start on and finish each bit before you move onto another area - that way you will have a finished area that will be pleasing to look at and encourage you to carry on with your good work!

If you are making raised beds then incorporate lots of organic compost in them as you go so that when you pop in your plants they will quickly get established.


Use planting troughs made of wood to cover up any old plastic pots as they will not crack in a hard frost and can be painted to co-ordinate with your colour schemes or left natural.

Put big pots on wheels so you will be able to move them easily and not strain your back trying to lift them.

Even if you have a very small garden try to get at least one tree in it - look for dwarf varieties that will do well in pots.


Make sure that if you have a plant that likes well drained soil it is actually well drained - if in doubt add a handful or two of washed pea gravel in the hole before you plant it as this will aid drainage.

Remember to place a seat in the shade - perhaps under a tree or shrub or provide trellis for climbers - as well as in a sunny spot - not everyone relishes the sun.

Make yourself a peaceful haven somewhere in your garden where you can sit and watch the wildlife/pond and enjoy what you have made.


Try to remember to prune your shrubs before they get too big for your space - usually this is after they have flowered.

Keep up with your weeding and tidying - don't let it build up into a huge job.

Include a selection of scented roses of all types as they will fill the air with their perfumes and give you a gorgeous display of flowers for a large part of the year.


Be flexible - if something is not working then change it!

Here's a good tip - plan your garden to reduce the work load as you get older, I know we don't think of ourselves as ageing but forward planning will mean that you still have a lovely garden but the digging and weeding tasks are reduced. This means planting more ground cover plants, hardy perennials and shrubs such as box or flowering specimens.


Enjoy your garden!