Resources/tips for a novice Gardener

[Caramelisedbiscuitbutter]

We are currently buying a new house with a decent sized south/south west facing garden with lots of potential. Our current garden is mostly lawn and some shrubs, very low maintenance. Husband takes care of the lawn (very well I might add).

I’ve recently taken an interest in gardens, trees, flowers, biodiversity in nature etc and also want a new hobby so I’d love to give gardening a go. I’ve bought a couple of RHS books which I’m enjoying reading but I thought I’d ask on here if there are any excellent resources / top tips for someone like me who can manage a hanging basket at the moment but is really keen to learn more.

I’m not expecting to become an expert overnight and there’s no budget for a garden transformation or anything, just want to know how to get started really and learn to grow, love and nurture my new garden!

Congratulations on the house and garden. I’ve found Garden Ninja great - covers beginners to experienced gardeners.

Your best resource may be your neighbours. If you ask most gardeners for advice, they are usually keen to talk about their own experiences. Many will offer cuttings or divisions of plants. I'm always giving away plants, because I have too many. Neighbours will also know about the soil type and what sort of plants will thrive (and just as importantly, what will not).

I follow 'lookinsidemygarden' on Instagram

She's very engaging!

I've been gardening for a while, but have no idea what I'm doing. My main tip would be that most plants can cope with incompetence and neglect. I kill surprisingly few things, despite being both ill-informed and lazy. Buy some stuff, stick it in, see what happens - it's fun to experiment.

Thank you, nice variety of ideas here. Really appreciate it!

You could watch Gardener’s World on BBC2. Listen to Gardener’s Question Time on R4 and there are quite a few gardening groups on Facebook where people post photos and share tips.