Lets face it gardening can be pretty daunting. All those Latin names the bugs and blights that can attack your plants just when they are looking their prettiest. How does anyone manage to grow anything?

This guide will explain all that. Its not magic its common sense. I cant promise you a copper-bottomed guarantee but I can help you to learn how to avoid the pitfalls and make the most of what youve got.
I love gardening because it is the stuff of life and it still gives me a thrill to sow seeds and grow plants. Enjoyment is what this course is all about





You wouldnt dream of moving into a house without taking a look at the area. Its the same in a garden. Befe you can grow anything you need to know what st of conditions you have. Then you can choose plants that are suited to them. There really is no need to waste money on plants that will hate your environment.

Youll need to know what st of soil you have how much light there is and the prevailing weather conditions. Is it a windy site a particularly cold one is it sunny and sheltered* All the infmation you need to succeed is here.
Assessing your plot
Just like you your garden is unique and has character. It is this character a distinctive set of conditions that wk together which determines what you can grow successfully.
Understand your gardens character and youre well on the way to becoming a blossoming gardener. Thats what well be doing over the next few pages.
Well look at the following range of conditions and show you how to discover what they are in your garden:
Light
Moisture
Temperature
Wind
Soil type
Light
Oh and wherever you see this icon youll find plenty of suggestions f plants that will thrive in all the conditions we look at.
The imptance of light
Put bluntly plants die without sunlight. Sunlight is the engine that powers growth a process called photosynthesis.
In the wild (which is where most garden plants come from) light levels vary. Being cunning little chaps different plants evolved to thrive in different levels of light. Clearly the amount of light your garden gets will have a big impact on what plants grow well.
Aspect
The overall amount of light received depends on aspect the direction your garden faces. Use a compass.
Nth-facing gardens get the least light and can be damp
South-facing gardens get the most light
East-facing gardens get mning light
West-facing gardens get afternoon and evening light
Temperature
Garden plants come from all over the wld and may be used to different temperatures to those in your garden. Knowing how cold your garden gets will help you to avoid plants that freeze to death!
Southern Britain is generally warmer than the nth
The Gulf Stream makes the west warmer than the east
As altitude increases temperatures decrease.
Wind
The prevailing wind
The direction from which the wind most often blows will influence your gardens character and what you can grow. As a general rule ntherlies and easterlies are cold while westerlies are warmer but stronger.
On a hot day a gentle zephyr may be pleasant but wind can also be a menace.
Wind wries
Long term winds defm think of sideways-growing trees in coastal areas!
Sudden gales snap branches and stems
An unexpected cold wind may scch tender new growth leaving it crispy brown
Even gentle winds can scch plants that naturally live in sheltered woodland f example Japanese maples.
Moisture
Plants need water
Just like you plants need water. There must be a constant supply because plants are like giant wicks. Water is sucked from the soil by roots drawn up the stem and lost through the leaves.
Your soil moisture content
The amount of water in the soil is influenced by:
Local annual rainfall
Time of year
Soil type
Aspect
The water table the point in the soil at which water drains away
Shady nth facing cners often have damp soil
Much of the rainfall tends to come from the south west. Easterly aspects protected by the house tend to be dry.
South-facing beds those in the rain shadow of a wall tend to be dry.
Plants have evolved to take advantage of variations in moisture content. So on wet soil you can plant a bog garden and grow moisture-loving plants; on free-draining soil you can create a gravel garden full of drought-tolerant species.
Soil is far from dull stuff. It is made up of humus (ganic matter) and three different types of particle: clay silt and sand. It provides a plant with an anch f its roots its water and its nutrients.
Did you know?
When you look at a bder all you see is topsoil. Dig down 30cm to 60cm (1ft to 2ft) and things change. Youll see a clear boundary between the topsoil and subsoil mucky stuff that plants wont grow in. In some new gardens especially on estates built on heavy soils that clay subsoil from footings etc has been spread over the natural topsoil and then covered with a few inches of indifferent topsoil and then turfed.
Its wth checking because if the topsoil layer is only a few centimetres thick subsoil can cause problems:
If its clay water logging in winter
If its sandy chalky dehydration in summer
But dont despair reach f the old faithful (well-rotted) bulky ganic manure and you can improve things greatly.


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