Get your hands dirty!
Not as glam as some of our makeover suggestions, but two days of graft in the garden can get it looking top notch ahead of a summer relaxing and enjoying it...
1 Get weeding Pull on some gloves and go to town. Pull up weeds from the root. You can use a weed-pulling tool, a hoe... even a blunt knife can be helpful for scraping weeds from the cracks of your paving. 2 Slug-proof your garden Placing crushed eggshells around your plants will keep the slugs away. The calcium is also good for the soil. Win win! 3 Sweep it up Outdoors, this gives the same level of pep as hoovering the carpet inside your home! You’ll need a decent outdoor broom with stiff bristles to make life as easy as possible. 4 Name that plant! Set yourself the challenge of identifying one unknown plant species in your garden or perhaps in a neighbouring park. It’s great practice for learning how to notice certain plant characteristics. Use this magazine as a tool, research online and don’t be afraid to ask questions! 5 Nourish your soil Use our soil type guide on page 82 to identify your soil and use some of the tips to improve it. A good-looking bed filled with a productive growing medium
6 Give back to the bees
Their activity provides us with life so why not do something for them? Sow some wildflower seeds in an empty gap or fill a pot with lavender. We all need to do our bit to keep the bees alive and kicking (or should we say buzzing?). will be all the inspiration you’ll need to start planting. 7 Top up your toolkit What do you want to do in your garden but can’t because of lack of equipment? Identify the best tools for the job and get down to your garden centre to fill the gaps. 8 Give it a good soaking If your soil is lacking moisture then instead of the odd sprinkling here and there have a proper dousing session and soak it to the core. It will take longer but it will give the soil the top-up of moisture it needs to benefit it more and for longer.
9 Deadhead your plants You don’t have to be a gardening expert to be able to see when a flower or leaf has shrivelled and died. Gently remove all the dead heads from your garden to make way for new life.
10 Make a wish list Write down everything you want for your garden (no matter how big or small) and start categorising them into short, middle and long-term aims. Tackle the smaller things first and work your way up. 11 Make a connection Gardening needn’t be a solitary pursuit! In fact, it’s growing so much in popularity you can’t fail to connect with people who share your interest. Perhaps you have a friend that you never knew was interested in gardening; maybe you’ve got chatting to someone in a local plant shop. Either way, having a conversation with someone else about gardening is sure to throw out ideas and inspiration and perhaps new friendships might even take root as a result!
12 Upcycle
We all have at least one thing in our house that we’d like to get rid of but can't bring ourselves to. Tap into your creative resources and find a new home for your chosen item by turning into an outdoor item with function, beauty or pure innovation. Definitely share a snap with us on Instagram @easygardensuk #gardeninghacks 13 Organise your shed Knowing where all your tools are and having them nicely arranged will make it easier for you to get going in the garden.