As a beginner in gardening, it’s nice to have a healthy and almost weed-free garden that’s filled with vigorous plants, beautiful walkways and raised beds. But, it’s even better to have proper gardening habits.
Do Your Homework
While professional landscape designers can reply on their experience, beginners need to find a “source” on which they can rely and that particular source is research. Decades ago, before the internet topped the list as the most popular source for finding information, gardeners used to study gardening books and plant lists, and visit nurseries and gardens as references for their research on gardening. In fact, gardening experts have amassed an abundance of incredible ideas by merely visiting demonstration gardens, botanical gardens and nurseries.
However, today many have started overlooking this important task, sometimes relying only on the first selection of sources rather than digging deeper into the subject matter. It is important to note that the skills and abilities of gardeners are not only acquired with experience, but instead they are largely dependent on research work and gardeners’ learning abilities.
If you are really drawn to gardening and you really care about the results, you will find the need to do your gardening homework. And, here are some tips to help you carry out your homework: effectively:
- Start visiting gardens and nurseries in your local neighborhood. Remember to take a camera and a notebook along with you so as you can jot down every idea that pops up in your mind and capture what you find stunning.
- Talk with landscape designers and expert gardeners and try to probe for more information about the caring of plants. And, note down important pieces of advice.
- Participate in horticulture training programs.
- Join a local garden club if there’s one in your neighbourhood.
- Many gardening activities and programs are often launched by non-profit organizations and this is your chance to learn more about plants.
Choose Plants You Love
Yes, gardening is soothing and has several health benefits. But, it’s not a child’s play. If you don’t understand the requirements of a plant and take care of it properly, its cells will cease to function or would be consumed by bacteria and other microbes until there’s nothing left.
A plant isn’t like a human – the human can survive without nurturing but not the plant. If it isn’t supplied with the basic requirement for life, it will die. I’m not saying that taking care of a plant is difficult, but you need to have the right approach and you need to enjoy taking care of it. Why? Simply because when you do something you like to do, you will tend to show more interest and effort in that thing. Similarly, when you are growing a plant out of happiness, you will always give and care for it more than expected and you won’t need to be motivated by anything else. On the other hand, when you are growing something you don’t like, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to give your 100 % and it might end up being a failure.
When you are a beginner, you shouldn’t be swayed by the “rarest”, the “latest” or the “trendiest” in gardening plants. Some plants are very common for a reason. It’s just not about them being on the cheap side; they are simple, consistent and easy to grow.
Get Rid of Any Food Mess
It turns out that people, in these days, have shown an increased interest in outdoor BBQ grills. It is true that outdoor grilling is much more fun than the indoor one. But, when you start grilling meat and having parties outside in the space you’ve created for your plants, it can create a food mess that will eventually become a leading cause for pest infestations.
