Some of you may be aware that as well as contributing to these pages and making television programmes about gardens and gardening, I also write books. In fact, I probably spend more hours of my working life writing books than everything else put together. The book I am working on at the moment - which will not come out until September next year - is a first gardening book. Aimed not at children but adults who are perhaps not readers of this publication (yet) and do not watch Gardeners' World but have, for the first time, access to their own plot and want to make it nice.
People criticise ‘nice' as a weak word, but I use it advisedly because when you start out with a garden, with no previous knowledge or experience, you don't really know what you want or what is possible, where to begin or where it will all end. ‘Nice' is a pretty good option under those circumstances.
First things first
This point in the year is the perfect moment to start. It is tempting to head off to the nearest garden centre and buy bits and pieces you like the look of, perhaps plonk them into the one cultivated bit of ground there is - or dig a hole in the grass and stick it in- but you need to get your planning done first. Plants are the easiest bit of any garden and, in some ways, the least important. Most can be endlessly moved and adjusted over time. But the layout and design of a garden is much harder to change and yet will influence everything. So that is where you begin.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2022 de Gardeners World.
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Esta historia es de la edición April 2022 de Gardeners World.
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A new plot for tasty crops
Taking on a new allotment needn't be hard work. By simply following a few easy tips you can have bumper crops in no time, just like Alessandro Vitale
We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
Now, at the height of summer, Frances Tophill shows how to boost your plants' health and productivity with a timely cut
Hassle-free harvests
Flowers are out in abundance this month and for Jack Wallington, many of these blooms make delicious, low-effort pickings
Bite-sized bounties
Glorious doorstep harvests can easily turn into gluts, so let Rukmini Iyer's recipes help you savour every last bit
Upcycled outdoor living
Create unique and stylish garden features for minimal cost using reclaimed materials and simple DIY skills. Helen Riches shares four step-by-step projects and more inspiring eco tips
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Buildings and landscapes can play a vital role in supercharging your space, as Nick Bailey demonstrates
Greening up a city balcony
Looking for sustainable, small-space gardening ideas? Take inspiration from Oliver Hymans' transformed balcony garden in north-east London - now a lush, green haven for humans and wildlife
The dry and mighty garden
As we adapt our gardens to a more volatile climate, Alan Titchmarsh reveals how to create a drought-tolerant plot and picks his top plant performers
Nature knows best
Carol Klein explains how to choose plants for specific growing conditions, based on what has naturally adapted to thrive there
