ADVICE FOR NEW GARDENERS

Q At the age of 24, I’ve just completed my first year as a ‘bona fide gardener’ and truly believe I’ve found a hobby for life. What are the most important things for me to remember as I develop? @LucyMellorLaw

I am so glad that you have ‘found’ gardening, Lucy, and I have yet to meet anyone who ever gave it up having started. I promise you that the pleasure and reward will grow and prosper every year. The important thing to remember is that you should always do what you find most rewarding and not feel that you ‘ought’ to grow or do anything. Gardens are personal and creative and should never be a chore or duty. Take it slowly. It is not a race. The rewards are profound and lasting and will connect you to a much deeper and slower pulse than the quick fixes of modern life. A little patience always helps. Work with nature. Never fight it – not least because you will lose! But a garden that is in tune with the natural world and which is holistically connecting to all living things will be healthier and more beautiful – and make for a happy gardener. Finally, look after and treasure your soil. If you have good, healthy soil then most things will grow despite the gardener! Good luck.