An unkempt and unruly garden can be an intimidating project to tackle, but there is no need to hesitate. With this handy guide, you’ll be out enjoying the fruit of your labours (quite literary) in no time at all.  

In addition to the top tips all new gardeners need to be aware of, we’ll also do a bit of a deeper dive into how to pick out flowers, gardening tools and, of course, vegetable gardening tips for beginners. 

• Step 1. Understand the Soil
• Step 2. Picking Out Your Flowers or Vegetables
• Popular Flowers for UK Gardens
• Step 3. How to Plant
• Step 4. Weeding & Pruning

While it may be tempting to jump Stright into buying seeds, the first thing you need to do is understand what you can grow and where. This requires you to ask two things of your garden: 

1. Is it north or south facing? You'll need to know exactly where the sun hits so that you can sow the right seeds in the most hospitable locations. 

2. What type of soil do you have? Different types of vegetation require different types of soil, with different pH levels. If you are looking to plant something specific, there is a chance you may need to replace your soil (or else grow in a raised bed). 

What are Soil pH Levels? 

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with everything below 7 being acidic and everything above having stronger traces of alkaline. For soils specifically, this scale is slightly smaller starting at around 4.5 and topping out at 8.  

Certain plants, including Cameliias and Blueberry, have adapted to growing in more acidic soil whereas others (such as lilacs and honeysuckle) are accustomed to the opposite. For ease, most common plants can be categorised into one of two camps. Those suitable for acidic soil, ericaceous and calcifuge, and those suitable for alkaline /lime-rich soils, calcicoles.   

You’ll know fairly quickly if your plant is in the wrong type of soil as it won’t be able to access the right nutrients it needs to grow. This can result in its leaves taking on a yellow colour (chlorosis) as well as curling and/or stunted growth.  

Of course, if you have a specific plant in mind, we suggest researching its ideal habitat beforehand, as in many cases, soil having too much acid or too much alkaline can make it more difficult for certain plants to grow. 

How to Test pH Levels in Soil 

Home pH testing kits are common and readily available online. Typically, this simply involves taking a sample of your soil and mixing it with a pre-prepared testing solution. The soil reacting with the solution with give you a unique colour which can be compared with a supplied pH scale card.  

Another simple (and free) method of testing your soil is to look into what you have growing already. Once you know the plant (there are various apps which can help to identify your foliage), you can look it up to find out what group it is in and, by extension, what other plants are in that same group.  

If you have lavender already growing in your garden, for example, dianthus and campanula are fairly safe bets to plant in the same soil. 

TOP TIP: You’ll find most soils tend to sit around a 7 on the pH scale, meaning neutral soil. As you might expect, this soil is a good ‘all-rounder’ able to grow a broad range of different plants. 

Now that you know what type of soil you have, you can start to buy your seeds in earnest. Either by finding plants that are able to grow well in your soil or by changing to pH of your soil to suit the plants that you want. 

How to Change pH in Soil? 

Acidic-rich materials such as sulphur or aluminate sulphate are great ways to decrease your soil’s pH to make it more suitable for blueberries, heathers and other ericaceous plants. Keep in mind, however, that soils heavy with clay will require greater amounts than sandy soil. Similarly, lime-based compounds can be used to increase the pH level.  

Each garden will be different, so we recommend investigating your soil and researching precise quantities to ensure you achieve the desired result. 

Consider Your Gardens Size & Boarder 

With the right soil at the ready, we can move on to the design of your garden itself and to the biggest constraint when picking out flowers – space. You will need to choose plants that are suited to the shape of your garden.   

Smaller areas, for example, may benefit from smaller plants like Ajuga’s. With short stems and vibrant purple flowers, they can make a big impact whilst still making your garden feel spacious.  

On the other hand, if you have deep borders around the edge of a larger garden, you may want to consider screening plants for extra privacy such as Photina red robin. This grows as high as 4 meters with fragrant white flowers during spring with red evergreen foliage which stays prominent across multiple growing seasons. 

How to Pick a Colour Scheme for Your Garden 

Colour schemes in your garden are just as important as anywhere else in your home. Able to set different tones and atmospheres in an instant. You must consider not only what you think you’ll love but also want will go well with your building and surroundings.  

Sunny gardens, for example, complement warm colours the most. Bright reds, yellows and whites. Whereas cooler, shader gardens work best with blues, purples and pinks. 

What Vegetables Should I Grow? 

Tomatoes 

An obvious one to start, tomatoes are the best choice for smaller gardens – requiring very little space to grow and offering a good yield in as little as 12 weeks. Better yet, the plant will continue to produce the veg for around six years. 

Potatoes 

As one of our most staple foods, we spend roughly £1.35 per person, per week on potatoes (that’s roughly £90,000,000 every single week). The best part about growing your potatoes then is the surprising amount you can save. With each plant providing around 9 potatoes, a single packet of seeds could provide upwards of 45.   

Curly Kale 

Kale is perhaps not the first plant to jump to mind, but you'd be surprised by just how versatile this vegetable can be. Kale salads, steamed kale, stirred into noodles, chopped and added to pasts, there are dozens of ways to enjoy this nutritious veg. 

If you want strong plants and good yields, it’s essential that you know how to plant like a pro. Your root depth, the quality of your soil, and how much mulch or fertilizer you use – all are factors in nurturing healthy and vibrant greenery.  

It’s especially important to take the time to weed remove any weeds that’ll drain the soil of its nutrients and prepare your solid properly by marking out your sowing area with pegs and string. 

Garden Tools You’ll Need for Sowing Seeds 

• Multi-purpose compost 
• Seed trays & pots 
• Plastic bags 
• Seeds 
• Watering Can 

How to Sow Seeds Inside 

Depending on the time of your, you may want to start germinating your seeds inside to later transport the plant into your garden. In this case, you’ll need to get your hands on some seed trays or pots – anything that will allow water to drain. Unless your seeds require specialist compost, muti-purpose is likely to be perfectly suitable for most of your seeds.  

Make sure to dampen your compost first before evenly spreading seeds across its surface. Cover the seeds with another thin layer of compost and then cover them with a plastic bag to help regulate temperature. Once the seedlings start to grow, this bag can be removed.  

Once the second pair of leaves grow on your seedlings, they can be ‘pricked’ out and placed into a seed tray with more compost. Pricking is simply the act of removing your seedlings (handling them with the leaves). Plant them around 5cm apart, up to the base of the first set of leaves.  

Wait for another couple of weeks and then your plants should be ready to be moved to the garden. Remember to treat them with compost and water well. 

How Often Should I Feed & Water My Plants? 

Whilst every plant will have different requirements, the general rule of thumb is to soak the rootball every week. Your plants should also be fed (with suitable compost) every fortnight in spring and summer – more so if they are being grown in containers. 

How Often Should I Feed & Water My Plants? 

Whilst every plant will have different requirements, the general rule of thumb is to soak the rootball every week. Your plants should also be fed (with suitable compost) every fortnight in spring and summer – more so if they are being grown in containers. 

How to Sow Vegetable Seeds? 

Depending on your chosen vegetable you may find you can sow the seeds directly into the ground, carrots for example, or first into containers to allow them to germinate before being moved to the garden.  

Either way, it’s important to mark out your growing areas carefully and provide each seed with enough space to grow. One or two every few centimetres is typically recommended. Once they have started to grow you can then pick out the healthiest plants to keep and make more space by removing the others. 

Growing plants and veg is only the start of a successful garden. To make sure it doesn’t fall into disrepair you’ll have to keep them well pruned. Tidying them up after they’ve flowered by removing deadheads as well as any other damaged, diseased or straggly growths.  

We also suggest keeping a keen eye out for snails, slugs and other pests and tackling the problem early with suitable insecticides before they have the chance to destroy all your hard work. Doing this (and keeping weeds in check) is the most essential, albeit tedious job, in maintaining your garden long term.