Artificial grass is a perfect way of enjoying nature when you are too occupied with other things throughout your day. As you don’t need to maintain it like watering or spraying pesticides regularly while you can relax on your couch whenever you want. You can feel this comfort especially in summers when noon time makes the grass extremely hotter that even gardeners avoid being in the garden for any kind of work. All such things make the artificial grass a blessing but there are some common mistakes that people make while buying one for their backyard. Let’s have a look at a few of them below.

1. Not Doing Enough Research Beforehand

If you are a first timer, then no research beforehand is a big mistake you are going to regret later for sure. It is important to understand the installation process and dynamics of artificial grass like its types, pile thickness and different densities as it is not a piece of cake when you need good quality and durability. All such factors require deep research before finalizing any for your beautiful backyard.

2. Considering It Completely Weed Free

It is only like making a fool out of yourself if you think that artificial grass will be completely weed free. No, it is not like that and it does require maintenance as well but not as strictly as it is required with natural grass. However, the wind in your surroundings along with some birds and insects are very likely to attack your grass so you just need thorough cleaning with a brush every alternate day or maybe twice a week.

3. Relying on Samples Shown

Samples are always samples and bulk is always slightly different than samples which is a universal fact. So relying on samples and considering it as final outcome in your backyard will bring you a good disappointment. Also, you may select one based on soft hand feel but it might not have the longer durability or maybe the lush green color fades sooner after installation. So, it is always recommended to check the installed gardens rather than just relying on samples. And must check other features as well along with the looks and hand feel.

4. DIY Installation

No doubt you can have a number of videos and tutorials available online on DIY installations but it is not that easy as it looks like. It is because it is not your normal carpet for room and you will be needing different tools for fixing it in the perfect shape. Also, different corners or places might require different treatment depending on the temperature and climatic conditions. 

5. Ignoring Drainage

Well this is something which makes you end up with the pools of water in your garden every time it rains. It is a very important which is often neglected by people which then complains about the water pools in the end. So make sure the installation process has well considered the drainage part to keep the desired height of clay under grass and different important factors to have good results and durability.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

If you’re the type of owner who’s tired of having to fertilize, mow, or aerate the grass, you’re in luck. You can keep your lawn picture-perfect without ever touching a lawn mower. All you need are some reminders and a bit of water.

Of course, we’re talking about artificial grass.

Why artificial grass?

Opting for the artificial grass on your yard instead of a living one comes with lots of benefits. The most important benefit is that they don’t die or wither, regardless of the abuse they receive. Love to run around on the lawn? With artificial turf, you don’t have to worry about dead spots.

 Unfortunately, having artificial grass doesn’t mean you can ignore it. You still have some responsibilities and work to do. Most of your work involves cleaning and maintaining the turf’s appearance. The tools you need will slightly differ depending on how you use your yard.

Make time for regular cleaning

Regular cleaning sessions for your artificial lawn will be your most common activity. Usually, a long hose and a steady flow of water are enough to give your artificial turf a rinse. The goal is to dislodge and wash off any dust and small debris from the turf’s surface.

 Depending on how frequent you use your artificial lawn and who uses it, you may have to do regular cleaning every week. If you always have kids playing and pets relieving themselves on the turf, a weekly rinse is needed. Doing so helps prevent odor-causing bacteria and grime buildup from accumulating. You may also consider investing in some environmentally-friendly turf deodorizer.

 On the other hand, if your artificial lawn doesn’t get much activity or if you live in a low-pollen/low-dust area, a biweekly rinse is enough.

“Grooming” your lawn

Because artificial grass doesn’t spring back to shape after getting bent, you’ll have to coax the leaf blades back into shape manually. To do so, you can take a flexible rake or a hard-bristled brush and run it across your lawn. This will push the blades back up, along with taking any debris in between blades.

 You can incorporate this in your regular cleaning schedule, especially if your artificial lawn gets a lot of activity. Doing so also ensures that the soil underneath the turf gets evened. Neglecting this activity flattens not only your turf but also the land.

Schedule some deep cleaning

Keeping up with a regular cleaning schedule is vital for your artificial lawn, but so does a good deep cleaning. Ideally, you want to use a motorized brush for this process. But if you don’t have one, some good old elbow-grease will also do the job. Regardless, your goal is to scrub the entire yard thoroughly to dislodge anything that the regular cleaning missed.

 Deep cleaning is also the best time to run a magnet through the yard to ensure that no stray metallic items are left on its surface. This is also the perfect time to apply anti-microbial solutions on popular pet urinating spots, along with a thorough deodorizing of the artificial turf.

Other ways to care for your artificial lawn

Regular cleaning and faithful deep cleaning schedules are just a part of your responsibilities in maintaining your artificial lawn. You have a few more to keep in mind if you want to keep your turf pristine.

 If you or anyone in your family is a smoker, make sure they don’t toss live cigarette butts on the artificial grass. Doing so will create burn spots all over the yard. You also need to be careful if you do a lot of grilling on your yard; the flying embers may land on the artificial lawn and leave a burn spot. Of course, the burnt spots can always be replaced, but frequent repairs will cost money.

 Also, make sure that you’re not dumping or leaking stuff like motor oil and battery acid on the artificial grass. Not only are those hard to clean, but they can also leave stains that are tough to remove.

Final thoughts

Even though artificial grass still requires some work to maintain, it’s not as demanding as keeping a yard full of live grass. So before you even begin researching for the best artificial grass to put on your yard, you need to study and prepare for a few things. Regular cleaning ensures that your artificial lawn is always pristine, and deep cleaning sessions guarantees that your perfectly manicured turf will last a long time. 

Treat your artificial lawn with care to continue enjoying its benefits.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

One of the most appealing plants to have in your garden are the perfectly trimmed hedges. They can serve as fences and decoration, if maintained properly. The amount and timing of trimming depends very much on the species of the hedge. So, before you read this article, make sure you’ve found out what your hedge is. Here are the best tips on trimming a hedge for a beautiful garden.

The Shrubs That are Perfect for Hedges

As we said earlier, it’s important to know what shrubs you have in order to adapt different techniques for trimming. For example, species like Conifers don’t do well when old woods is cut into. There are many shrubs that will look great in your garden, but there are a few which are notably suitable and deal well with trimming. Those are camellia, cypress, strawberry tree, wild privet, weigela, photinia and flowering currant.

Tools for Trimming a Hedge

It’s not impossible to trim the hedges by hand with scissors, but a hedge trimmer is definitely preferable. You should, however, always have a hand held shears, which will help you will smaller trimming projects or quick fix-ups. You can buy the hedge trimmer from a gardening or home improvement shop. To ease your job, you can buy a trimmer with double blades. That would save you time and energy by cutting your work in half. 

It’s advisable to pick a cordless hedge trimmers for smallers shrubs as it has the same power as the electric or petrol ones. For shrubs taller than 5 meters use an electric or petrol hedge trimmer in order to reduce some workload. And, for the larger branches use pruners and shears. 

You need to make sure the trimmer is well maintained so you don’t damage your hedges. A blunt blade can damage the branches by tearing and shredding rather than cutting them. You should also ensure that the blade is kept clean as while you trim a hedge, sap can accumulate on harden. 

You have to accept and understand, though, that even with the best trimming machine, you won’t become instantly good at this process. You need steady hands and patience, but also a lot of practice. But don’t worry too much about it! Make mistakes and learn from them. 

Perfect Time for Trimming

Timing of trimming also depends on  the type of shrubs you have. Major shapings should happen once a year when the growth period is finished or has slowed down. Most hedges flower in spring or summer, so make sure you are familiar with the plant cycle of yours. For those that flower in spring trim them after they are done blooming. Those that flower in summer trim them at the end of winter or early spring. And, for those that don’t flower at all, trim them after any new growth appears to be fully formed. You can also do occasionally light trimming every now and then with hand shears.

Best Techniques to Trim a Hedge

If you’ve recently planned your hedges, it’s good to trim them early on. That will help them grow healthier and will determine their shape. But no matter the age of the hedge, a good trim should leave the hedge wider at the bottom and slightly narrow at the top. This way the sunlight is able to reach the whole hedge equally for a healthy growth. 

Help Yourself With the Clean Up in Advance

Work smart, not hard. Before you start trimming, lay down a cloth or tarpaulin around the shrubs. As you are cutting off the branches and leaves, they will fall down on them. Thus, at the end of the trimming just pick up, fold the cloth and throw away all the waste that was generated.

Start with the Vertical Sides

Take a look at your shrubs and picture the way you want to form them. When trimming the hedge, you should start with cutting the vertical sides first using upward and downward sweeping motions. When you get to the top side of the hedge, you have to angle the blade at 10 degrees to the horizontal and use scything motions.

Cut Off with the Outer Branches

Focus first on trimming the outer branches and thinning out any dense areas on the outside of the shrubs. Cut close to the main stem to encourage new growth all the way along the branch. If you cut near the top of the branches, you promote growth only near the top.

Thin Out the Inside

Then, start trimming little deeper into the shrub. Remove all dead or broken branches since they only interfere with the plants’ growth. By thinning out the inside, you let the plant breathe and prevent forming of mold or other pathogenic growth. Still, make sure you don’t remove more than ? of the shrubs’ inside.

Look for Straight Lines as Guidance

While trimming, look around for any straight lines that you can use as guidelines. For example, the edges of your house, street signs, other hedges, roads, etc. That will help you with staying steady and keeping your eyes on point. Trimming a hedge perfectly takes practice and you probably won’t succeed from the first time. Using straight lines as guidance, however, definitely helps for a well-shaped shrub

Use Strings for Guides

You can also use strings to guide your trimming for straight and clean edges. Stick four stakes into the soil at all 4 corners of the shrub. If you want to shape the shrub in a form, different than a rectangle, stick the stakes at every angle. Lay strings from one stake to another in a parallel to the ground manner. You can use a ruler to help you with that. Now you can start trimming by using the strings as guidelines for a well-leveled shrub.

Enjoy the Process

As we mentioned a few times already, trimming takes practice and patience. This is why there are many professional gardeners who do this for a living. But don’t worry, the more you do it, the better you will get at it. And, you will be able to brag about your skills and perfectly shaped hedges on the next garden party.

There you have it, all the information you need to perfectly trim your hedges for a beautiful and lush garden. Of course, you can always use your imagination and trim your hedges in all shapes and forms. Especially, when you get used to using the tools and learn what your plants need for a healthy grow, you can go all creative. Now, let’s start trimming!

Author’s Bio:

Name: Dimo Koev

Dimo has 10+ years of experience in landscaping services, garden design and maintenance, lawn care, turfing, hedge trimming, weeding, fencing, decking, patio and driveway laying, planting, garden clearance, and more. He is the president of Professional Gardening Services, which delivers the bespoke gardening services in London. Dimo believes in constantly adapting, innovating and learning about his industry in order to deliver the best service to his clients. That’s why he is so enthusiastic and eager to share his knowledge and skills with everyone who needs gardening advice.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

A garden has many personalities that are dependent on the tilt of the earth and the local climates and seasons. As much as gardening is a science, it is also an art, and these tips are starting guides for garden care in each season. Take these ideas and see how they relate to your garden and create your own personalised gardening timeline.

Spring

Plant any bare-rooted plants, such as soft fruits and roses. Pay attention to your bulbs, your tulips and daffodils, which should look magnificent this time of the year. After they flower, take off any wilted flowers and seed heads and tease out the bulb with its leaves and replant them about 60-75mm apart.

A lawn treatment is a great way to spruce up your lawn and should be applied on a dry day with a thorough watering after three days, though check the specifics on your specific fertilizer. 

There is so much to do in spring, especially if you are a vegetable grower. If the atmosphere and the ground is still too cold for your vegetables then you will need a gently heated propagator to give them a boost. As soon as the seeds are up, transfer them to a cooler and turn them every day by a quarter for a well-rounded plant.

Summer

During the dog days of summer, water your plants early in the morning and late in the evening to maximise your water efficiency. This is also when your pollinators will be blooming and keeping your bees happy. These include sunflowers, zinnias, and other wildflowers which are great additions to your yard and keep the ecosystem moving.

During periods of good weather is the time to tackle any large garden renovation projects such as installing patios, garden paths and ponds. Plus, this is the perfect time to visit national gardens to get inspiration for next year, get any tips for flowers that haven’t done as well as you planned, and bask in the beauty of nature.

Fall

Autumn is the time to clean the garden and prepare the beds for next spring. Bulbs that bloom in spring, your asters, pansies and chrysanthemums, will do well getting used to your garden’s soil at this time. Additionally, plant new shrubs and trees now as there is plenty of ambient moisture and the tree will be dormant which reduces the effects of transplant shock.

Clean up unwanted growth now; your spent vegetable plants and any weeds. Prepare the flower beds by clearing away leaf debris. This can be a chore, especially if you have a lot of dead leaves. 

Removing plant debris is essential for reducing plant disease risk and pests. Empty your compost bins and start a new batch with the falling foliage. Your compost can be used as a heat blanket around your most sensitive plants to keep them snug for next season.

Winter

In general, winter temperatures won’t kill ornamental plants. A higher risk time for them is spring when there are occasional warm spells that wake them from dormancy followed by cold spells. Protect your flowering plants with a frost cover, not a plastic sheet which produces an oven effect if the sun is strong unexpectedly.

During winter, you can relax with regards to clearing bulb foliage and regular watering schedules. Additionally, don’t fertilise at this period because you will stimulate new plant growth which is dangerous during this period.

Each season has its own needs and its own treasures. Gardening is a wonderful, varied pastime that can help you keep tabs on how your environment is changing and nurture something that will grow more beautiful over time. Do you have your own seasonal gardening tips or successes? Let us know in the comments below.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

As the warmer months are upon us, there’s nothing quite like dining under the sun, amongst the great outdoors. Therefore, there’s no surprise why so many of us, (when the weather is just right) jump to the chance, of bringing out those paddling pools and fire up the BBQ at every opportunity.  Hosting a BBQ, gives excuse to bring friends and family together, but let’s not forget the potential of health hazards brought along with it.

From ensuring food is cooked thoroughly and at the right temperatures, to keeping people at safe distances away from the heat of the grill, it’s important to stay aware of the safety so that everyone can make the most out of your BBQ without the risk of injury.

That’s why Flogas, provider of Gas for BBQs, offer precautions to consider.

Preparing your food
Across the UK, each year there is an estimate of one million reports of food poisoning. With that in mind, it’s clear to assume that many of us are still not taking the appropriate precautions when handling and storing food.

Sadly, the warmer weather can bring a hot spot for bacteria to breed (which increases the chances of food being contaminated, which then leads to food poisoning risk) but fear not, after following these guidelines, you can keep all you BBQs guests safe as possible.

Start by sticking by the rules of the four ‘c’s:

1. Chilling 

• Always defrost your BBQ food overnight in a fridge, rather than leaving it to defrost at room temperature. 
• Allow any leftover cooked foods to cool and then store them in a fridge (within a two-hour window).
• Don’t overfill your fridge – overfilling stops air from circulating properly. 
• Regularly check the temperature of your fridge with a thermometer. In-built fridge temperature gauges don’t always give the correct temperature!

2. Cooking 

• When cooking meat, ensure it reaches the right temperature for long enough to kill any bacteria. If in doubt, use a cooking thermometer! For beef burgers, before eating the inside temperature should be roughly 71°C. Sausages should be 65°C, and it’s 73°C for chicken.
• If you slice into the cooked meat, it should be steaming hot throughout.
• None of the cooked meat should look pink when you cut into the thickest part.
• All of the juices from the meat should run clear once cooked.

3. Cleaning

• Always clean any utensils, plates and chopping boards before and after cooking.
• Don’t wash chicken or any other raw meat as splashing water containing harmful bacteria could spread to your food preparation areas.

4. Cross-contamination

• Cross-contamination often occurs when raw food touches or drips onto surfaces. Always use different plates, chopping boards and utensils for raw food and cooked food.
• Washing hands in hot soapy water before and after handling food will reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
• Ensure that any raw foods are kept separate to food that’s ready to eat.

Safety Precautions around Gas BBQs
Choosing to use a gas-powered BBQ brings many advantages over a charcoal BBQ. As well as being quicker to set up and easier to get going, they give users greater control over the temperature, meaning food is more likely to be cooked properly before serving.

With any gas-powered appliances, it’s important to follow some basic safety rules when cooking with gas cylinders:

1. Cylinder safety can vary from brand to brand. Always follow the manufacturer’s advice when handling and using BBQ gas cylinders. 
2. If you need to change your gas cylinder, make sure that the tap is properly switched off before you start.
3. If you think there’s the possibility of a leak on the cylinder or pipework, isolate the source and call your cylinder supplier’s emergency number immediately.
4. After you’ve finished cooking, turn off the gas cylinder first (to ensure that any remaining gas is used), then turn the BBQ off at the controls.

Safety precautions around BBQs in general
Along with understanding the values of food safety and staying safe when handling gas, next comes some general safe BBQ tips to bare in mind to help prevent unwanted incidents:

1. It may sound obvious, but never barbecue indoors or on balconies.
2. Be aware of where you are placing your BBQ. Keep it on flat ground as far away from flammable surfaces as possible (this includes sheds, fences, trees and tents).
3. If there are children or pets nearby, keep them well clear of the cooking area. 
4. Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby in case of an emergency.
5. After cooking, do not attempt to the move the BBQ until it is cool.

Despite the dangers associated with BBQs, they shouldn’t prevent you from impressing your guests with your amazing cooking skills, but just bare in mind to keep safety upfront.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

It’s the perfect season for it. We’re on the cusp of summer, and the tropical weather is (hopefully) on it’s way in Great Britain. This means your garden will shortly become the main attraction in your home, whether that be for you sitting peacefully, enjoying the outdoors   and your morning coffee, or if in fact you’re the person who is known for hosting the hottest summer barbeques every year. Whatever your purpose, chances are you’ll want to get your garden looking perfect for its peak season, and you’ll not want to break the bank doing so.

With these top tips, you’ll have the secret garden of dreams in no time, without having to spend up.

Tame Your Lawn

It goes without saying that after a long winter, you’ll probably need to cut the grass down to make it appear tidier. However, it might be the case that the grass itself is looking a bit tired, and needs a little help along the way. If this is the case, be sure to rake and water your lawn to give it the boost it needs. If it’s in need of some extra TLC, invest in a treatment specifically for your lawn, and it’ll be looking a luscious green in no time.

However, getting your lawn looking tidy isn’t going to add the wow factor to your garden, but there are ways that you can give it that extra pizazz. Why not consider cutting your lawn into a clearly defined shape, like a smaller square or circle? This is an easy and effective way to make your garden look immediately more interesting, and you guessed it, it’s cheap too. It’s as easy as marking out the shape you desire with string, and digging out the excess

with a spade, which will take an afternoon at the most. Consider filling the gaps with gravel or flowers to frame your lawn in a beautiful and effective way.

Plants are Everything

A garden is only as good as its flower bed, isn’t it? So ensure to make yours colourful and full. A super cost effective way of doing this, is by opting for perennial plants that you can divide up into sections – and it’s not as complicated as it sounds. It works especially well for forming a clump of flowers such as geraniums and astrantia – you don’t have to spend loads of money on exotic, expensive plants to give your garden a tropical feel! It’s as easy as splitting the plant, digging holes, and spreading each part around your flowerbed. Doing this will give you the overall effect of a wonderful flower display with several different breeds of flowers springing up around your flowerbed. It might take a little while for them to grow to their full potential, but it’s a cheaper way of getting the flower display you’ve always    wanted. Next stop, the Chelsea Flower Show!

Don’t Neglect Your Brickwork

Chances are if you have brickwork in your garden, for example a wall, it’ll have been there for a fair few years, probably before you even moved there. Because of this, it’ll be looking tired and probably in need of a little refresher. If hosing down and cleaning up the brickwork in question just isn’t doing the trick, consider hiring a  Repointing Specialist to do the work for you. It’s not expensive, and it means an expert does the hard work for you, and probably does a more professional job.

Invest in a Tree

Considering their longevity of life and the quality they bring to your garden (not to mention the oxygen they bring into the environment), trees are completely inexpensive given the purpose they serve. Small trees, like crab apple trees, are great for an average sized garden, because they’re not too big and they’ll remain in proportion. Plus you get to grow your own crab apples!

Light it Up

Last, but certainly not the least, the piece de resistance of your garden can easily be the lighting you add to it. Again with it being entirely inexpensive, solar powered lighting can change your space from the average back garden, to a magical outdoor haven. Whether you opt for solar powered ground lighting, or outdoor fairy lights draped over the wall or the fence, they’ll make the garden an artistic space, and will make those summer nights just that little bit cosier. It’s amazing the difference lighting can make, for such a little price.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

Time is ticking, the year is flying, and the sun is (hopefully!) coming. With the hot weather  on it’s way, your top of the list place to host parties, chill out, and thoroughly enjoy over the summer months will inevitably be your garden. But after a long, cold and rainy winter, how can you give your garden the care and attention it needs in order for it to blossom into the centrepiece summer location you deserve when dragging the BBQ over the long bedraggled lawn the winter has left behind just won’t do? A little TLC goes a long way, and with these top tips, your garden will be the top Summer Soiree location in the neighbourhood.

Love Your Lawn

Without the foundations of your home, it’s infrastructure is nothing. Similarly, without a cared for lawn, your garden is nothing too. There’s nothing more appealing than a green and luscious British garden lawn in the sunshine, so make sure yours is in tip top condition! Be sure to re-sow any poor patches that are looking a bit tired before you begin doing anything. Before you water, also ensure that you’ve scratched back the main bits of grass with a wire rake, in order for the water to soak into the soil and successfully gain access to the roots. Of course, if your lawn is overgrown be sure to trim it, however be careful not to take off more than a centimetre in height. Cutting it too short will actually make it look less luscious and healthy, and you don’t want that.

Say Goodbye to Weeds

It goes without saying that eliminating weeds is a MUST in the preparation for your summer garden. It seems like a never ending task – you pull out the weeds, they grow back, you pull out the weeds, they grow back, and the cycle seems to loop around in a constant circle.

Unfortunately, the best way to eliminate weeds is to stay on top of them all year round, and that includes the winter months. However, if you’ve neglected to do so, as most of us admittedly do, have no fear because there are is help out there. Specifically designed weed control sprays/solutions are a great way of stemming the growth of weeds, before they invade and populate your garden. Sometimes it’s best to nip it in the bud, before the  problem is out of your control. By doing this, not only will your garden be fresh and tidy for summer, but it could also highly benefit you in other scenarios too. For example if you were to want to make a quick house sale, for example if you’re selling to a cash buyer that pays the best prices, you’ll be likely to make more money from a house with an attractive and well kept garden.

Clean Up the Summer Essentials

It’s inevitable that in the upcoming months you’ll be using your essential summer furniture and appliances, so you’ll want to make sure they’re up to scratch.

First of all, make sure your Summer furniture is polished and ready to use. Hopefully you’ll have moved all cushions and material items indoors within the winter months to keep them fresh for use. However, if you’ve forgotten, not to worry, just be sure to put them in the wash and hang them out to dry!

Before throwing the Barbeque of the year, you’ll want to make sure that the BBQ itself is in clean and working order. Chances are if it’s been outside all year, you’ll have a fair amount of rust to remove from your BBQ before use. If you’ve been sensible and stored your BBQ away, then you’ll only have to give it a quick Spring clean. Sometimes it pays to be over prepared!

Don’t Forget the Fence

Last but certainly not least, remember not to neglect your fence. Unlike the aforementioned, you unfortunately can’t take your fence indoors and protect it from the harshities of winter, however a treatment and paint is the next best thing. Using substances such as creosote can give it protection from the wear and tear of hot, cold, wet and dry weather alike.

Even something as small as a lick of paint or varnish can completely revitalise a fence withered from the winter months. Once dry, it’s completely up to yourself how you’ll decorate. Maybe you’ll invest in some flowerbeds beneath the fence, some climbing plants like ivy or honeysuckle, or you’ll even consider some solar powered fairy lights. It’s as easy as that to make your garden look magical, and feel cared for.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

Do have a home garden or you buy all your foodstuffs from groceries? In this era, many people want to spend their time indoors. They do not have time to plough pieces of land or plant vegetables. Particularly, for people living in cities and suburbs, growing vegetables is not a priority. A large number of malls and green groceries that offer one an opportunity to access any vegetables is killing the home garden culture.

While concerns are rising on the dangers of using GMO products, only one out of three households in America grow foods in their home gardens – this is according to research by Farmer Foodshare. Owning a garden can be a good idea for your health. But how? Here are four health benefits of a garden you need to know:

• Opportunity to grow pure organic products

Having a home garden is the surest way of consuming organic products. While you can find products labeled as organic, you’re not sure whether they are pure. With your garden, you have total control of any plant and material used to grow crops. For instance, you can replace chemical pesticides with natural ones. So, in the end, you’re certain that your foods have zero toxins. You can enjoy your tomatoes, potatoes, and vegetables without fear of harsh impacts on your body. A homegarden is the only guarantee that what you consume is organic.This way, you can avoid toxins from chemicals that save you from dietary health issues.

• Enhances your mental workout and wellbeing

In this era, living indoors is a lifestyle. Most people spend over 60% of their time working on computers and watching television. Or else, working on indoors chores. These activities lead to fatigue and other health issues. For instance, the lack of natural lights can lead to insomnia. Your brains become exhausted resulting in sleepless nights. A home garden is a good remedy for mental relaxation. As you and your family spend time in this garden, you have a chance to workout your mind and breath fresh air. Also, you enjoy gaining Vitamin D. all these elements boost your mental wellness.

• A good way to enhance respiratory health in your home

If you have been in a science class, you understand the relationship between plants and air cleansing. Plants use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen as a by-product of the photosynthesis process. With this relationship, you can confirm that plants are an essential part of human life. Having a home garden enhances your air cleansing. As you breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, the plant have a reverse process. Hence, your garden enables you to retain fresh air rich in oxygen which promotes your respiratory health.

• Reliable sources of healthy diets

Eating healthy is the objective of every human. Everyone needs a balanced diet that enables them to maintain their body weight and size. However, you can only claim to be a healthy eater when you have full information about the products you’re consuming. Having a home garden is the best assurance of this objective. With your garden, you know every input used.  You can avoid ones that contain health risks. As such, a home garden is a reliable source of natural and healthy diets.

Conclusion

As you can see, having a home garden has many benefits. So, if you do not own one, it is high time you think about it.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

For those of us who live in densely populated cities, air quality can be a growing concern. The concerns are certainly well-founded, a London once again hit its air quality values for the whole year in a matter of just over two months in 2019. Its air quality is so poor that a number of deaths are attributed to the problem every year in the UK.

If you live in a city then, you will want to take measures to ensure the air around you is as filtered as possible. There are a number of plants that can help you to do this.

Colourful gerbera daisies

You can include a whole array of coloured on your quest to be greener! A recent study by NASA has provided a few colourful blooms for gardeners keen to clean the air. Gerbera daisies are bonny, beautiful blooms that come in many different colours; white, orange, red, pink — whichever you pick, they’ll give your garden a splash of colour. These flowers love direct sunlight and a bit of space, so make sure not to leave them in a shady corner of your garden.

That’s not all. NASA states that these wonderful flowers are also great for dealing with multiple air toxins, such as benzene.

Filtering with conifers

Looking for a garden border option that will also help with air pollution? Hedges are great for combatting air pollution, and Homes & Property recommends conifers for the job. Specifically, the western red cedar hedge is named as an ideal conifer to plant in your garden. But if your garden is a little smaller, the publication also names the yew as a great alternative, citing its evergreen nature and easy trimming.

Scaling up your green game with ivy

There’s something so picturesque about ivy. A classic climbing plant, you might already have the hedera helix climbing up the walls of your house. Though it has a bad reputation in the States as being a weed, it can be a lovely addition to your garden if tended to. The plant offers benefits for wildlife and for the air – Goldsmiths, University of London, states that the wide leaves of the common ivy traps particulates, which makes it a great choice for purifying the air.

Not a wallflower to be overlooked

The Erysimum, more commonly known as the wallflower, is a colourful way to bring more air-filtering properties to your garden. Goldsmiths also names this plant as being akin to the common ivy for its particulate-cleansing power. These flowers have a bright display of petals during the first half of the year. You can grow wallflowers in many colours, with purple and yellow popular choices.

Greener methods

Keeping your garden green extends beyond the plants you pick. You have to consider how you are tending to your garden as well. SmilingGardener offers five great ways to reduce pollution in ways beyond planting shrubs and flowers:

• Avoid pesticide use. This one is probably a given, but if you can avoid using chemicals on your garden, please do.

• Consider composting. You can turn many waste products into compost to stop it going to the landfill.

• Don’t use corn gluten meal. SmilingGardener notes this meal is made up from genetically modified corn, so best to stay away from using it, if possible.

• Opt for silent/quiet equipment. This one’s more for noise pollution, but it’s certainly an added bonus for the pollution-conscious gardener to take note of!

• Look inside as well as outside. As well as planting outdoor plants to combat air toxicity, consider bringing in some houseplants to cleanse the air in your home.

Sources:

https://www.smilinggardener.com/introduction/5-unique-ways-to-decrease-pollution/

https://www.gold.ac.uk/news/phyto-sensor/

https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/home-garden/gardening/clean-air-save-your-home-from-harmful-pollution-with-clever-garden-hedge-choices-a114961.html

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/reduce-your-exposure-to-air-pollution/

http://www.itv.com/news/london/2016-10-12/how-london-is-embracing-the-vertical-garden-or-living-wall/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/11035106/Green-walls-how-to-grow-a-garden-vertically.html

https://www.londonair.org.uk/LondonAir/general/news.aspx?newsId=2clsQZWiKLVkYFiScEAp8s

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/gerbera-daisy/growing-gerbera-daisies.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera_helix

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/11278.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/25.shtml

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here

Summer Maintenance Tips For A Thriving Garden

The Common Sense Gardening initiative found that the UK is eager to get out into their gardens, with a 29% increase in millennials enjoying gardening. Summer is the perfect time to do some general maintenance in the garden, from clearing out the guttering to sweeping the patio, sorting out the shed, painting the fence and deadheading your flowers to keep them blooming for longer, resulting in a beautiful garden that you’ll love spending time in.

Have a tidy up

Even if you had a spring clean your garden will have seen many rainy days since that will have led to lots of growth, which includes those pesky weeds. Start by pulling up weeds and sweeping patio areas. These small jobs can make a big difference to the overall tidiness of your garden. Summer is also the perfect time for checking and clearing your guttering and drains for any buildup of debris that could cause blockages. Blockages can be caused by the wind blowing leaves and sticks into it, particularly guttering that’s near trees, so these can be cut back, along with any other trees, shrubs and bushes that are starting to look untamed.

Reorganise your shed

The shed is a perfect storage solution, and not always just for garden essentials. Over the winter and spring, the garden shed tends to become a mess as more and more odd bits are stored in there and then forgotten about. Summer is the perfect time to take everything out and sort what you’re going to keep and what can go. While the shed is empty, give it a thorough clean and then organise where everything will go back in it. You should be able to access everything easily and know where everything is, if not you may need to be a bit more ruthless about what you’re keeping. Decide what you keep based on when the last time you used it was and how likely you are to use it again.

Repaint the fence and any other woodwork

Painting your fence, shed, benches, and anything else in the garden made from wood is essential for making it last a long time, as well as keeping it looking its best. Over the winter it’s likely your fence has faced detrimental weather conditions. It may need some minor repairs and can then be painted. A coat of Creosote or a similar treatment can give it extra protection it needs from the hot sun. Using a spray gun can make this a quick and fairly effortless job, instead of it feeling like a chore every year. If you decide to change the colour of your fence and any other woodwork you’ll probably need several coats before you can see the difference.

Do some deadheading

Summers means lots of flowers will be blooming, which means deadheading is an essential job to keep the flowers coming through while keeping your garden looking tidy. Everything from bedding plants to roses look better and grow better when they are regularly deadheaded. Try to do some deadheading regularly, even if it’s only for five to ten minutes at a time. The only exception to this is varieties of flowers that produce colourful hips, which shouldn’t be deadheaded. Applying a second dose of fertiliser at the end of June will also help to boost blooms. Deadheading is the perfect way to give your back a rest from all the other garden jobs too.

Having a thorough tidy up can make your garden look a lot better and can usually be done within a day or two. Tidying up your shed and giving it a paint, along with the fencing and any other woodwork, will brighten the garden up and weatherproof it. All these little jobs will help your garden to look its best.

One Day Gardening Course in your own garden or a GardenAdvice venue     Our one day gardening courses are run in your own garden or at a GardenAdvice venue by one of our gardening experts teaching you about your own garden and how to develop is making it more colourful and easier to maintain. Our courses are tailored to the requirements of the individual and come in three basic formats - New to gardening, Growing your own fruit and vegetables and wildlife gardening. All our short courses include a number of basic elements and wide ranging aspects such as garden design and practical gardening. Our one day gardening courses also come with a years membership to our MyGardenTeam service to support you for 12 months For further details  click here