Sunday 4 February 2007

PLANNING YOUR GARDEN

When preparing and planning a new garden, it is best that the ground is as level as possible, obviously this is an ideal situation and some gardens may not be vast amounts of green particularly in this day and age when builders tend to build on pieces of land big enough only for a dustbin and a rotary airer!

Sloping gardens are not ideal because the heavy rain tends to wash away the soil and leave the roots of plants exposed to the elements. South facing gardens tend to fair better than north facing ones, due to the heat of the summer sun, that isn't to say however that you will in fact have a south facing garden.

The important thing to remember is to make the best of what you have and to enjoy your garden. * Large trees are best kept a distance of 30-40 yards away from the house reasons being that the light into the house is not blocked by the trees and the roots of the trees do not affect the foundations of your property.

* Large trees can rob the garden of sun which could be at the detriment of smaller plants and shrubs that enjoy full sun it is therefore important to keep trees at a distance from these as the tree roots also tend to demand large amounts of nutrients and moisture from the soil. Grass is probably the only thing that does not suffer from the roots of trees as it forms a mat over the ground and does not require much food from great soil depths.

* Gardens with large trees and shrubs tend to have large demands for water, therefore with continual water bans in place some thought must be given to how you can save water, it may be that you have a large water butt to collect rainwater or you may decide to use your grey water. Giving some thought and planning in the early stages into how you are going to water your garden during hot, dry spells will not only save valuable water but will also save you money on your water bills!

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