[H1637]How To Start Gardening

The answer is simply to have a go. It is like
most things, if you don't try you will never
succeed.

1. But you have to be born with green fingers?

It is inevitable that some people will be better
than others. That goes for most things in life.
You can have enjoyment picking out a tune on a
piano without having to play a Beethoven concerto.
The same is true of gardening.

2. I like to plant and create but all I seem to
do is weed and deadhead.

This is a common complaint but the weeding and
deadheading, in other words maintenance can be so
relaxing. Once planted, a garden needs time to
mature and it needs some tender loving care to
attain the best results. Don't make it hard work
and tackle large areas all at one go and mix up
the jobs. Working like a Trojan weeding the whole
garden in a day can be very tiring and although
you will see the fruits of your labour it can
produce a mental barrier for the next time. Take
it slowly and it might surprise you how your mind
drifts off onto other things. It is called
relaxing your mind. You begin to work out many
things that are subconsciously worrying you.

3. I don't know a weed from a good plant

The majority of us who started without any formal
horticultural training do not either. They say we
learn by our mistakes and this applies to
gardening as well. You have what you think is a ?
good one? and as it matures you recognise it as a
weed. Next time you will recognise that seedling,
well maybe! If you grub a good one, well again
you have to put it down to experience.

4. Gardening is an expensive hobby

Gardening is only an expensive hobby if you make
it so. If you are starting a garden from scratch,
buy some packets of seeds.

Start by growing hardy annuals. As the name
suggests you can sow the seeds directly into the
ground as soon as the soil has warmed in the
spring. Sow thinly into shallow drills and when
they germinate carefully remove any where you
have overcrowding and replant.

If you have enough window space and large window
sills try sowing half-hardy annuals. They need to
be sown indoors and given protection until it is
warm enough to plant out. Even very experienced
gardeners still get a thrill and sense of
achievement seeing seeds germinate and grow into
beautiful flowering plants. Get results this way
and will give you all the encouragement you need
to go to the next stage.

5. But if I need perennials I have to buy them

Sometimes but not always, growing perennial
plants from seed is very rewarding and cheaper
than buying containerised plants. You can get
many plants for the price of just one container
grown bought from the garden centre. Some
perennials if sown early enough will flower the
same year but more often than not it will be
their second year before they mature and you see
the fruits of your labour. It is worth the wait
though, be patient.

The other downside is that you may not find the
seed for the variety you would like to grow. You
will look at the seed catalogue and see hardy
geraniums but not the one you have seen when
visiting a garden and admired.

Go to the garden centre and there it will be in a
container. Look through the stock with a keen eye
and you will find yourself with a bargain. If you
are lucky the one plant you have bought might
split into three. If so, split it, pot each and
grow on. Again it will be the next year before
you benefit but will be worth the wait.

Another way to get value for money is to take
cuttings from the plant you have purchased. Some
species take easier than others from cuttings but
just have a go. There are cuttings that some
people find really easy but will not work for me
and vice versa.

Gardening can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby.
Take that first step, you will have failures but
you will have more successes than failures.

Article Source : Pg. 58