Where to start

[mackerelsandwich]

I really want to get into gardening as a hobby but I don't know where to start. I've bought plants in pots but rarely manage to keep them alive and don't have proper borders in my garden to plant them. Any tips please 🙏🏼

When you say you don't have proper borders, what do you have?

When you buy plants in pots they need to be put into bigger pots or the ground to survive.

They need watering, but not watered so much that they are soggy.

Best advice I can give is to get in to the habit of looking closely at your plant and thinking about what you see.

What are you trying to grow at the moment?

Start off by visiting a local nursery! Not a garden centre, but a proper nursery and wandering!!!
Where abouts are you? I can suggest some places...

I've only managed to keep alive 🙈 hydrangeas and roses. I've got a flamingo tree and I bought two peony plants in garden centre yesterday, but I'm so worried I'll kill them.

Then lots of randomness in a weird semi circle border in back garden and front garden.

I just feel so overwhelmed and don't know where to start.

I'm in South Wales.

Thank you so much for replying. I love flowers and just want to have something for me to enjoy

Roses have black spots on leaves and green fly

Can you post a photo of your garden, facing away from your house, and tell us which way you are facing (eg N, SW etc)?

Ok. We all lose plants at some point!!
You've got more chance if they're in the ground than in pots.

You can look up your plants on the RHS website and see what conditions they like - sun, shade, wet, dry, etc - and how mucg room they need. Check how tall they might grow, too - no point putting a big one in front of a small one.

Then buy a bag of peat-free compost.

Try to choose a spot they might like, then water the pots. Dig a hole bigger than the pot if you can. Chuck a handful of compost in the hole. Ease the wet plant out of the pot, put its roots in the hole and pack in as much compost around it as you can.

Then water them in the ground and wait to see if they survive ... & don't be too hard on yourself if they don't, we've all been there!

Don't be impatient with your plants, they can often take time to settle in. I've had some peonies that have taken 2-3 yrs to flower. Gardening keeps you on your toes, some plants will die, some just go into hiding only to resurface after you've totally forgotten about them, others will vanish without trace. Some though will flourish & make you smile. It's a lot of trial & error but rewarding when it all come together. Be brave about changing the garden to suit you & enjoy the challenge.

Honestly gardeners world is pretty great for getting into things. If you don't want to watch the programme then take a look at their monthly magazine.

Suggest you create some proper flower beds in your garden as a starting point. Good idea to get a water butt too (often subsidised by your water company).

Work out what sort of soil you have (surprisingly easy to do).

Watch and note how the weather affects your garden- where gets the sun and at what point of the day? Any hot spots, shady spots, dry spots, wet spots?

That's pretty much all you need to know to choose some plants for your new beds. Go along to a garden centre once a month and choose a plant, it's a good way of making sure you have something in your garden for every season.

Trial and error - everyone makes mistakes as they go along, so don't worry about. You'll learn as you go.

Give everything a good soak when planting it - and trees especially need regular watering to help them establish in the first year.

Finally, for maximum enjoyment of your garden, once you've worked out the above, go and have a wander and sit in different places in your garden. When you find good spots of chilling out and enjoying the view, make sure you keep a space there for a seat or a patch of grass to lie back on. You'll end up loving your garden all the more.