Got a new garden or want to start one?

Here are our top tips on how to create a garden if you’re new to gardening and haven’t found your green-fingers yet:

• Keep it simple. Huge landscaping projects will completely overwhelm you if you’re a newbie and they can be very daunting, plus you’d need some basic building skills to be able to complete them. Go for a simple patio, some grass and a border and don’t take on too many plants to look after.
• Go for easy access where your plants are concerned so that you can reach them to ensure they are watered and kept healthy.
• Think about the way your garden space flows and how it will be viewed from the various rooms in your home and also from your patio when you’re sitting there. Make the most of the view and don’t place obstructions in the way such as hedges or large pots.
• The best plants to go for, if you’re a gardening novice or are short on time, are low maintenance ones. Pop in for a free, friendly chat with one of our plantaria staff and we can give you lots of advice on the type of plants that would work well in your outdoor space.
• To help make things just that little bit easier – go for lots of pots on your patio or decking, instead of grand planting schemes. You can move them around and water them with ease and fill them with seasonal plants that are easy to care for.
• If you’re out or away a lot, or just don’t have lots of time, then set up a self-watering system for your pots. Even if you’re at home lots, this can be a really useful time saver and will allow you to sit and watch your flowers grow rather than racing around doing the jobs.
• Always buy good quality plants. It doesn’t always follow that cheap plants aren’t the best but we’d always advise looking for plants that have been grown in the UK. If the leaves are brown or yellow and dry, it’s likely to be unhealthy and can bring problems like diseases in to your garden.
• Always read the labels and select the right plant for the right spot. You do need to consider how much sunshine it needs, whether it needs shelter or support and what the soil is like. If you are unsure, please ask.

Even if you didn’t buy your plants from us, we’re more than happy to offer you lots of free advice to help get the best from your garden – just pop in during normal garden centre opening hours or get in touch via the phone, email or social media.