Alexandra Campbell shares advice for new gardeners

Where to start as a new gardener? Alexandra Campbell shares some helpful advice.

SEVERAL different friends and family have moved house recently. They’re either gardening for the first time or in a significantly different type of garden from one they’re used to.

So they’ve asked me what they should do and where they should start.

My first response has been “do nothing”. Just sit in the garden as often as you can at different times of day.

Sit in different places, and assess what you already have and what the strengths and weaknesses are.

Even the tiniest garden feels different if you change where you sit, perhaps looking back at the house rather than looking out from it.

Look at where the sunny parts of the garden are and which are in shade.

Plants really do grow best when they have the right amount of sun, and this is something you can’t influence even if you cut down trees.

A north-facing border will always be a shady northfacing border!

I then suggest identifying a positive goal. Psychological studies have shown that if you state a specific goal, you’re more likely to achieve your aims.

For example, “I don’t want my garden to be full of weeds” is a negative and you can’t aim for a negative.

But “I’d like my garden to be full of colour” gives you something to aim for.

The first practical task I suggest for beginner gardeners is to learn how to identify the weeds in their garden.

There is a changing attitude towards weeds now. They’re more likely to be considered “wildflowers” or a “plant in the wrong place”.

For example, daisies and clover are now more tolerated in lawns.

But some weeds, such as ground elder and bindweed, are so invasive that they can overwhelm other plants in the garden.

Before anyone can decide which weeds they’re happy to live with, they need to know what the different weeds are.

Although there are lots of books identifying weeds, I’d suggest a walk round the

garden, either with a professional gardener or an experienced amateur, several times over spring and summer.

If that’s you, that’s something you can offer to new gardeners.

When I was thinking about what advice to offer, I looked up a few gardening tips lists.

Beginner gardeners are often advised to “test their soil”, yet so many experienced gardeners I know haven’t tested their soil.

I think this is the sort of advice that can put people off gardening, because it seems too expert.

Most people can get a general idea of what the soil type is in their area simply by asking their neighbours.

I’d say that “feed your soil” is better advice.

If a gardener adds a layer of well-rotted manure or garden compost to their borders at least once a year, then their plants will benefit hugely.

So what books would I give a beginner gardener? I think this depends on their personality and whether their garden is a new passion or a practical project.

For the practical ones, I’d suggest the comprehensive “RHS How To Garden When You’re New To Gardening”.

But for anyone with a desire to connect with their garden in a wider way, I’d suggest anything by Monty Don, probably the newly revamped “The Complete Gardener” or the autobiographical “Down To Earth”.

And I think the best advice I’d give to a beginner gardener is to say there’s no such thing as a silly question.

If you don’t know something, you should always ask. ■