As the daylight hours and external temperatures increase, so does the desire to get outside and spend time in the garden. Follow our list of top tips to get the best looking garden this summer, and maximise your enjoyment of the space.
1. Get to Know Your Garden
It’s a good idea to get to know your garden before planting anything. Check which direction your garden faces, as knowing where the sun hits the ground will help you decide what to grow and where. You should also take a look at what’s growing in your garden, as the types of plants currently growing will help you determine how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Doing a soil test will further help you get to know your soil, and therefore what plants will thrive in your garden.
2. Start Composting
Holding onto your kitchen and garden scraps and composting them is not only good for the environment and the local wildlife, it is also beneficial to your purse and your garden. Invest in a composting container, let the waste break down for a year and then spread it around the base of plants in your garden as a cost-effective plant food. Composting also enriches the soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests.
3. Keep an Eye on Pests
Most garden pests are nothing to worry about and can be left alone as there are plenty of natural predators that will keep them in check. However, sometimes pest populations can become an infestation and start to seriously harm your plants, so keep an eye out for increasing numbers of pests like aphids, slugs and snails to keep your plants safe. There are a wide variety of natural pesticides available, so you can take care of your garden while protecting the environment from harsh chemicals at the same time.
4. Be Kind to Wildlife
It’s easy to dismiss all wildlife as pests, but this is not the case. Most wildlife is actually very beneficial for gardens. For example, birds eat a variety of garden pests, and bees pollinate our food crops. Creating micro-habitats such as ponds and compost areas to attract and protect wildlife, and learning to share your garden with a range of other species is the key to enjoying your green space.
5. Feed and Water Plants Regularly
Knowing when and how to water plants can mean the difference between them living and dying. Watering more thoroughly, but less frequently will help water get down to the deeper root tips and is far more beneficial to plants than just dampening the surface every day. Feeding is also important for strong and healthy plant growth. Feeding plants every one to two weeks during spring and summer is usually frequent enough for them to flourish.