No matter how big or small your garden is, the following tips will make your garden go from good to great in no time.

1. Use mulch on your vegetable patch, trees of flower beds using only organic material – mulching help your garden to save water, adds vital nutrition and keeps pests away
2. The soil is the life of your garden: keep it healthy and your plants will take a tough stance against diseases and garden pests
3. Plants who need an acid environment will enjoy a sprinkling of pine needles that will deposit acid in the soil as they begin to decompose
4. Spray a dilution of soapy water onto leaves to get rid of annoying aphids. Rinse off afterwards. Also encourage lady birds/lady bugs to hang out in your garden
5. Avoid chemical fertilizers as much as possible – make your own delicious compost
6. Good, rich compost is fantastic for your garden since it keeps it full of nutrients, airates the soil and maintains healthy roots
7. Add value to your household property by doing some landscaping to make your garden more attractive
8. Planting trees should be done with careful forethought and planning since trees take up so much space and become dominant features very quickly
9. Buy plants that suit the temperature, sunniness, annual rain fall and general climate of where you live
10. Trees are great environmental protectors, keeping your garden cool in summer and allowing sunshine to filter through for warmth in winter
11. Vines will keep your fences and walls shady and can spruce them up with color and shape
12. Use alternative ground covers other than grass to keep things interesting
13. Plant herbs! They help your cooking skills immensely and also look great in your garden
14. Gardens that love shade generally require less effort to maintain – although effort is a relative term
15. Use a few spots of flowers here and there to add colour to your garden
16. You can make compost from most things that were once alive (plants being the best) but avoid meat and bones
17. Dig in compost to just below the surface, but not too deep
18. When digging a hole for a tree, don’t make the edges too square or smooth since this will prevent easy root penetration
19. If your garden was in a forest, mulching would be the floor of the forest where all the goodness comes from: remember to mulch each year
20. Earthworms are your friends – they keep the soil well-fertilized and happy
21. When you plant out your plants from plastic containers you may need to rip the roots a little bit if they have attached themselves to the walls of the containers
22. After planting don’t leave soil exposed – mulch and cover!
23. Don’t only plant one type of plant or vegetable – this doesn’t happen naturally in any case. Diversify with different plants next to each other and you will encourage beneficial insects
24. Get rid of annoying weeds with undiluted, unrepentant, merciless vinegar to knock out the weeds without damaging the environment or yourself




25. Encourage natural, organic biodiversity and insects and microbes will take care of pests
26. If you have too much rain going on, mulching will help keep things together
27. Did you know that domestic gardeners tend to use more synthetic weed killers and fertilizers per metre than farmers? Keep your garden healthy and go organic
28. Too much sun damaging roots? Mulch
29. Keep mulch evenly spread at the base of trees – don’t pile it all up against the trunk
30. Stamp out weeds by covering with thick mulch and remove strong grass by the roots
31. Water well before and after you mulch
32. To make compost you can use a combination of grass cuttings, vegetable and fruit left overs, small twigs and other organic material (avoid adding dog poo, meat or bones)
33. Keep it local when you landscape: use plants that naturally occur in your region for least effort
34. If you love order and meticulousness, create a more formal garden with well-planned focal points laid out in your garden
35. Beware of poisonous plants, especially if you have children: elephant ears have poisonous leaves and sweet peas and a host of other plants have poisonous flowers
36. Choose plants that have budded but not quite flowering when you buy annuals or perennials – this will help them settle in first when you plant and develop a strong root system
37. Plants that are drought resistant will help you out if you live in a dry area: look for succulents, silver leaves and strong tap roots
38. Plan ahead when planting: factor in the size of a plant when it is fully mature and then layer your garden appropriately
39. Install a good irrigation system to water the base of plants instead of just watering over the leaves – and water early mornings if you can
40. Another benefit from composting is that it maintains a healthy pH balance in your soil and delivers well-needed micronutrients you won’t find anywhere else
41. Take care when digging so that you don’t damage roots or mess about too much with healthy soil
42. In order of preference for dealing with pests: physically remove them, use guards or barriers, biological agents such as insects and finally pesticides that are as natural as possible
43. Use autumn colours in the front of your garden to attract the eye and to make a small garden feel larger
44. Get rid of environmental noise such as traffic by adding natural sounds with wind chimes and bird feeders
45. When you first plant a tree you may need to water deeply every week for a while to help it recover from the shock of being transplanted
46. Create paths, lines and boundaries with fences, hedges and stone dividers
47. Don’t kill every insect you see: most insects are good for your garden
48. By composting you are actually adding diversity to your garden and encouraging good bacteria, microbes, worms and insects to thrive
49. Plant in the late evening or on a cloudy day so that your newly planted seedlings don’t suffer in the hot sun
50. Plant purple and blue plants in the shade to make their colours stand out really well

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