News - Page 21: Gardening Tips

Baked, boiled, chipped or roasted, potatoes are always a winner. And there’s nothing quite like your own potatoes, dug up from the ground like buried treasure. Growing your own potatoes means you can choose from a wide range of different potato types, flavours and even colours. If you’ve never grown potatoes before, now’s the perfect time to start.

Growing plants from seed is one of the joys of gardening. It’s great for gardeners on a tight budget, giving you masses of plants for minimal cost, and there’s no beating the sense of triumph that comes from seeing those first seedlings poke their green heads above the soil. Sow a few seeds now in spring, and they’ll give you a spectacular show in summer.

Trees and shrubs are the backbones of any garden, creating a living framework for all the other plants. Deciduous trees change with the season, with beautiful spring flowers or spectacular autumn foliage. Even when the leaves have fallen, the bare branches add height and interest to the winter garden. Conifers add evergreen structure and come in a surprisingly wide range of colours, shapes and styles.  Finally, shrubs are the perfect choice for low-maintenance gardens. There are spring, summer and autumn-flowering shrubs, and many of them need an annual trim to keep them tidy.

Wondering how to prepare your spring garden? As your bulbs pop up through the soil, you will know that spring is definitely in the air. The birds will be singing and beginning to search for nesting spaces, and there will be more days with blue skies and warmer sunshine than we’ve seen over the winter months. Spring is truly food for the soul as we each feel like we are coming out of hibernation and getting ready for the months ahead. Here is how to prepare your spring garden. 

Our guide to keeping a great lawn will help you to take the steps needed to ensure it is lush, green and in good health. Lawns are essential aspects of many gardens and can bring so much to a garden design. From long, straight formal lawns to curved edges surrounded by perennials and bedding plants, the lawn is a place to lounge, exercise and play. 

Whether you’re looking for evergreen structure, winter colour or beautiful flowers, there’s a viburnum to suit your needs. This large group of plants includes evergreen and deciduous shrubs, some with scented winter flowers and others blooming in summer. They’re easy to grow and care for and great for wildlife. Here are three of our favourite viburnums.