Spring-clean your garden with care...

Kathryn Gilmour at Greenspace Garden Design says, "garden spring-clean is good thing to do... BUT ladybirds are still hibernating. Removing too much dead garden bits and old dropped leaves even in March can leave them with no cover. There is such a thing called 'garden hygiene' and yes it sounds a bit clinical, and yet in a small space, by keeping it orderly and clean you'll help to cut down on pests and diseases. A balance has to be struck between order and providing cover for beneficial hibernating bees and ladybirds". 

This is THE deluxe accommodation for ladybirds and bumble bees. There are several different designs available and the time to install them isn't actually now it is late summer or early autumn ideally.

But if you are doing an early spring clean and you happen to disturb ladybirds, as I did during February, then there are several make shift solutions that will protect them through the remaining cold weather and this is what I did:

Des-res #1 - The upturned flowerpot with dried leaf and grass interior. This is anchored with a stick so it can't blow away.

Des-res #2 - Old perennial growth secured with twine. Ladybirds venture out of the middle when warm enough.

Des -res #3 - Plastic container (courtesy of Riverside Tandoori) with exit hole cut, dried leaf interior and covered for shade (bark in this instance).

Ladybirds feed on aphids and are an asset in your garden - take care of them and enjoy their presence. They are supposed to be lucky too apparently and I reckon that I re-homed about 20, so it looks like I could be in for a luck filled year :)

Start small and have fun...

Gardening can be fun if you start small and have fun, don't try to tackle too much at a time. If you are unsure what the best approach is - you need to start with a plan which you can follow one step at a time. If you are still unsure a Garden Designer can help to create a gardening plan that will help you to achieve success in your garden.
Imagine this... you are outside gathering lunch, fresh green leaves just brimming with vitality and flavours. It takes less than 5 minutes from garden bed to plate! This is easy to achieve and with a bit of planning you can be harvesting wonderful salads from your garden from May to October. It's a success you can SHARE - fantastic homegrown lunch with friends and family in a beautiful outdoor space.

The key here is not to be too ambitious, just 3 or 4 raised beds and a basic range of produce with a few unusual experiments for interest. For example, last summer two Aubergine plants were an experiment and I did manage to grow a few actual fruits, AND although they decorated the garden beautifully they tasted so bitter! In contrast, a space saving success was the Sweetcorn, you can plant it in and around other crops or even amongst flowers and because it grows so upright it doesn't create much shade... and wow, was it SWEET! I only grew a few but I plan to grow lots more this year. Even if you don't have a veggie patch just dot about a few corn plants... and enjoy!

For your 3 or 4 raised beds see below for my crop rotation diagram.

If you have a question why not POST it here in comments and I will get back to you. Even if you are a very half hearted gardener I would love to know how you get on this year with any of the ideas and inspirations you find here, let me know.