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Get your garden summer ready

As summer looms, it can be difficult to find a balance between garden nirvana and garden hell for novice gardeners… Online voucher code website Voucher codes have handily created a guide on how not to kill the plants in your garden to get you set for the summer months.

Design

Keep it simple. You don't want to start off with a massive landscaping project as a newbie gardener, like anything, take baby steps and start out with a simple garden design. A nice patio, some grass and a bit of a border. You don't want to jump in at the deep end with too much to look after. Make sure your plants are easily accessed, you want to be able to get around and make sure they are fully watered and healthy, without traipsing through undergrowth.

Looking at your garden design you want to consider how it will look from different vantage points, so say for example, your kitchen or dining room window, sat outside on the patio and from a bedroom balcony. Does it look like it flows and can you maximise your view? You don't want to block a window with a tree or large shrubbery.

To grass or not to grass

Fake grass vs Real grass

To be honest nothing beats a gloriously green grass lawn, but for a lot of people their lawns end up looking like a brown mossy mess. So, we can see why people opt for artificial especially considering how good the latest artificial grass can look.

Fake grass

• Eco friendly (uses less water)
• Affordable
• Lower maintenance
• Lower environmental impact

Real grass

• Looks good
• Feels nice
• Great for wildlife
• Mowing the lawn is great exercise

Plants

Invest in low maintenance plants. If you're a novice gardener or do not have much time to spend looking after plants, it's a good idea to look at investing types of plants which are low maintenance. Perennials are pretty easy to keep alive, plants like daffodils, snowdrops and scillas bring you joy every spring with minimal effort.

Planting in pots can make looking after plants much easier, herbs are perfect for growing in pots, especially mint, which can easily spread itself through your garden. Setting up self-watering systems will allow you to sit back and relax whilst your plants get watered. You can also ensure your plants get just the right amount and can avoid wasting water.

Hacks from the kitchen

Beer - Also known as slug killer! So not everyone will want to put a pint in the garden, but if you have some out of date beer which won't be tasting so fresh, submerge some cups of beer in the ground and watch the slugs swarm, get drunk and die.

Coffee granules - After enjoying a cup of your favourite espresso, keep your empty grounds because they enrich soil and also keep creepy crawlies away.

Rice water - Keep the water from cooking rice rather than pouring down the sink, there’s a number of plant friendly minerals inside, which are perfect for watering plants and giving them a nutritional boost.

Leftover cuttings - The end of a bulb of celery, the top of a pineapple and basil stalks, all of these can be used as cuttings so you can grow your own veg. Give it a try!

So, what are you waiting for? Get out in the garden this weekend and get ready for summer.