New home, new garden

Spring is all about getting your garden up and ready for the summer.  If you have a new home, a brand new garden can sometimes be a bit daunting - here are our top five tips to get you going.

 - Consider what kind of garden you want.  Keen gardeners may want larger planting areas and spaces for fruit and vegetables.  Families may need hard-wearing lawns and working professionals usually look for easy to maintain areas.

 - It is probably worth checking the type of soil you have.  Soil testing kits are readily available.  These will tell you if the local soil is acid or alkaline and identify any missing nutrients.  Once you know what is missing you can dig in extra nutrition for your new plants in the form of mulch and organic matter.  

- Designing and planning your garden is the next step.  Create a scale drawing of your plot on squared paper, using a scale to suit.  Measure out your garden with a tape measure and pegs and mark the position of drains, sewers, existing fences and any inspections covers.  Check which way your garden faces - most smart phones now have a compass app which can help you do this.

- Hard landscaping comes first.  Make sure any fences you want to put up are done first along with any retaining walls or raised beds.

-  Finally, choose the right plant for the right place.  Using your garden position and soil composition you can get to work choosing the best plants for your spaces.  The RHS Plant Selector has plenty of ideas if you are stuck.  Think about when and where you want colour or interest in your garden - there are plenty of plants available for spring, summer, autumn and winter interest.