3 Tips for Planning this Year’s Garden

Planning this year’s garden? At the start of a new year, I take time to reflect on the past year and learn valuable lessons from my garden. Why bother? As a life long ‘student’ in Nature’s garden ‘classroom’, I make incredible discoveries and observations every year and always learn new things that make gardening more enjoyable and easier. You can too!

3 Tips for Planning this Year’s Garden

1. Learn Lessons by Observing

When you literally ‘stop to smell the roses‘, you not only slow down for a few minutes to relieve stress with beauty and fragrance, but this action can open up a whole new world of discovery. You may notice aphids and ants or spots on the leaves.

Rather than going unnoticed, these observations can help you learn how to remedy or prevent any potential problems. Instead of feeling disappointed when you notice ‘problems’, consider them ‘learning opportunities’!

3 Tips for Planning this Year's Garden: Learn Lessons by Observing your Garden

Observing details can help with troubleshooting and insightful discoveries

By studying details like how plants grow under diverse weather conditions or how insects interact at different times, you can start to form patterns and learn so much about your garden.

What to Observe in your Garden

For example, I spend time observing the various microclimates; plant varieties; which cultivars do well and those that don’t. I have discovered which plants tough it out without water for months (little champions!) and which plants are vulnerable to pests or diseases.

The insights are fascinating and valuable data for decision-making. I know which plants are easy, low-maintenance and highly productive and those who don’t deserve a space because they’re too ‘precious’ and a pain in the neck! Grow more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

Take a closer look at your garden to open up a whole new world of insights

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Anne Gibson2020-01-30T17:16:40+10:00Categories: Blog, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Tips & Tricks|Tags: Garden Design, Garden Planning & Design, Micro gardening, Tips|4 Comments

Why Should You Bother Keeping a Garden Journal?

Because if you want to minimize mistakes and maximize successes and enJOYment in your garden, being observant and recording what you see is essential. Even a few brief notes in a Garden Journal can make a massive difference.

Most of us think we’ll remember what we’ve seen or done in our garden. But, time is a funny thing. It’s so easy to forget with the busyness of life, what we saw or did, and when that occurred. Where did last year go? In a flash!

Have you ever noticed holey leaf damage on a plant? Have greedy insects beaten you to it? It can be disheartening and frustrating to feel you can’t do anything about it.

But what if you knew that at a certain time each year, grasshopper eggs were going hatch?
What if you kept a record so you could put preventative controls in place to avoid that damage?
Would that be valuable?
Wouldn’t you feel a sense of satisfaction knowing what to expect and what actions to take when?

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Anne Gibson2020-01-16T11:03:00+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Problem Solving|Tags: Garden Journal, Garden Planning & Design, Keeping garden records, Problem Solving|8 Comments

Vertical Gardening Benefits

Regardless of where you live, I’m a firm believer you can take advantage of some of the many benefits vertical gardening offers.

The advantages of vertical gardens really come into their own in micro garden spaces where options are very limited. As most people live in urban areas, clever design ideas are a key to make the most of the space you have.

So if you’re not yet growing up, here are 12 reasons why you should!

“Vertical gardening is an innovative, effortless, and highly productive growing system that uses bottom-up and top-down supports for a wide variety of plants in both small and large garden spaces.” – Derek Fell, author Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out for More Vegetables & Flowers in Much Less Space

12 Reasons Why You Should Garden Vertically

1. Maximise Limited Space

When you garden vertically, you can ncrease your growing space especially when it is at a premium in a very tiny area.

An edible kitchen garden with clever tiered vertical beds, make great use of a narrow space that was formerly a dog enclosure.

This kitchen garden has effectively used techniques like stacking raised garden beds and growing climbing veggies up trellises. These increase productivity and make maximum use of space.

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Anne Gibson2018-09-07T14:04:19+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Garden Planning & Design, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens|12 Comments

Ten Tips for Creating Beautiful Gardens

Do you want to create a beautiful garden? No matter how small your space, there are design principles you can apply to beautify your balcony, porch or yard.

Beautiful gardens appeal to our senses. The colours and immense diversity of design combinations, fragrance, flavours, sounds from birds and insects attracted to the plants and variety of textures.

Go for a drive around your neighbourhood and take notice of the gardens that catch your eye or next time you visit a friend’s garden, be observant and tune in to what you love about it. No doubt they will be applying some design principles and elements that apply whether they are used in art, graphics, building, interior or garden design.

“A garden is a thing of beauty and a job forever.” – Richard Briers

Simple concepts can make a HUGE difference to the enjoyment of your garden space and particularly so, when it is a micro garden. Designers use these principles all over the world to make spaces really stand out and visually beautiful. Less really can be more if you know how.

An elegant terracotta planter is used as a focal point with purple and white petunias. Understated beauty and a simple garden feature.

An elegant terracotta planter is used as a focal point with purple and white flower theme. Understated beauty and a simple garden feature.

10 Tips for Beautiful Gardens in Small Spaces

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Anne Gibson2019-03-29T09:29:44+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Colour & Fragrance, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Garden Themes, Tips & Tricks|Tags: Beaut, Beautiful gardens, Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Colour, Garden Planning & Design, small garden design, small garden design ideas|25 Comments