How to Love Being in the Garden May 04 2014
Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and the warming days are lingering much longer. If you find that your green-fingers are a little rusty from the wet winter weather, here are some tips to get you into gardening:
- Looking for Inspiration? Towns and cities are over-growing with garden events. This may be in the form of open gardens, competitions for the best hanging basket, allotment, vegetables or village in bloom, as well as flower shows such as the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show http://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show on 20-24 May. If you have missed tickets, it is usually televised nightly or embrace the more accessible Chelsea Fringe http://www.chelseafringe.com from 17 May - 8 June with events much further afield than just West London. If you want more instant and ongoing inspiration, look at our Pinterest board http://www.pinterest.com/honeymellow/garden-quotations-to-dig/ which has a range of motivational quotations (including some of our own) which will make even the most reluctant gardener’s fingers turn green.
- Lacking the expertise? If you do not know the difference between your perennials and biennials there is lots of help on-line. The Royal Horticultural Society www.rhs.org.uk has a beginner’s guide to gardening as well as a glossary. If you are not sure what to do when, there are many gardening calendars on the web with one of the best on the BBC’s website at www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/calendar. A more ambitious list of jobs to do each week is at www.ukgardening.co.uk although this may be a little daunting for a beginner.
- Need to make it look artistic as well as colourful? Pinterest is a wonderful community where people share various expertise as well as pictures. One of our favourite boards is http://www.pinterest.com/bridieja/garden/ which has plenty of landscaping and gardening ideas. Searches on Pinterest will yield a whole range of planting arrangements, garden ornaments, furniture, buildings and design ideas. Create your own board base on what you would like to achieve. Be careful not to indulge in endless garden planning and no action as it is very addictive.
- No space to garden? UK Gardening has less ambitious instructions about how to put together your own hanging basket. www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/containers is a fantastic guide to growing your own fruit and vegetables throughout the year in container pots covering the basics: what, when and how, to have produce throughout the year.
- Want to do something for the community? Guerrilla gardening is growing in popularity where keen gardeners tackle a bit of unloved public space and make it attractive again for everyone to enjoy. This is more about making Britain a big garden rather than a big society. www.guerillagardening.org/ggtips.html shows you how to get involved and information on useful intriguing techniques such as seed bombs & chemical warfare.
- Fed up with pests & bugs? If you are worried that your efforts could be destroyed by various pests and diseases, Radio 4 Gardener’s Question Time is a wonderful way of learning from others’ experiences. If you need more specific information on a particular disease ridden plant www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/calendar has a section on identifying pests and diseases as well as www.rhs.org.uk
- Initial enthusiasm has waned? If you need an on-going nudge to keep digging, then follow @MyGardenSchool on Twitter for regular tweets. It features an abundance of tips and tutorials as well as a lot of inspiring pictures in their gallery.
Obviously, if you are going to be spending all this time in the garden, it would help visitors and family members to know where you are. Visit our ‘Sow & Grow’ collection of custom made signs both here and on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Honeymellows where you can choose from our range of very popular ‘I’m in the Garden, Greenhouse, Shed…’ signs to hang on your front door so others can find you amongst your flowers and mundane things such as deliveries are not missed whilst you are absorbed in nurturing your blooms. We can even personalise most of our signs with your name, often for no extra cost if you want a sign that is unique to you. We also have signs welcoming visitors to your garden, inspiring quotations and plaques to show-off your strawberry or vegetable patch. Alternatively you can choose a design to complement your garden and add your own text with a personalised message.
If our blog hasn’t inspired you to turn your fingers green and you would rather nurture a rosy glow relaxing in the sunshine instead, our ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs may help you to wile away the hours peacefully this summer.
