A Fab Garden From Scratch in Just Five Summers!
2009
Even if you have horribly poor soil and you wouldn’t know a plant if it bit you, you can still grow yourself a lovely garden from scratch in just five summers.
2005
If you’re stuck with a boring square lawn - or a bald plot - and you’re feeling overwhelmed by it, not to worry.
When we moved to our home in August 2004 our 110 x 30 foot garden was scruffy lawn at the top, weedy wasteland at the bottom. On top of terribly thin, dry, flinty soil.
We began work on the garden in May 2005. Five summers down the line, at the end of July ‘09, we’re the proud owners of a gorgeous, lush space. Complete with a thriving wildlife pond and resident hedgehog.
Are we experts? No, this is our first proper garden. Previously we had a tiny town centre patio about the size of a king sized bed. All we did was follow a few basic rules and everything in our new garden grew like crazy, all on it’s own. Here’s what we did:
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followed the guidelines on the labels of plants we bought
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moved them if they looked unhappy
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gave them plenty of food - organic chicken manure - twice a year
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watered them regularly all year round until they were two years old, then as needed
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pruned things regularly so they stayed nice and bushy
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staked plants and trees so they didn’t get damaged by the wind
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added fat, rich heaps of our own compost, home made from household and garden waste
That’s about it. If you’re feeling farty about your garden take a look at the photos in this article. Happy plants grow surprisingly fast. And it’s fairly easy to keep them happy. If we - two total amateurs - can do it, so can you.
