Posted by Shannen Godwin on 17th Jun 2021

New Year’s Resolutions for the Garden

As we say goodbye to another lovely year, it’s time for us to welcome a fresh start and look towards a great year ahead. New Year’s Resolutions are a fantastic opportunity to try something new, and where better to make a positive change than in the garden? Below we have compiled some tips and ideas on how you can maximise your garden this year.

START A COMPOST HEAP

Generating your own compost is a fantastic (and free!) way to make an impact on your garden, as well as reducing your contribution to landfill. Spreading the finished compost into flowerbeds greatly improves soil quality by helping it it to retain moisture, suppress weeds, boost plant growth, and reduce the need to use chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

You can put so much into your compost. Waste such as fruit and veg peelings, eggshells, coffee grounds, teabags, garden waste, used paper napkins/towels, unwaxed cardboard and paper (ripped into small pieces), most food waste, toothpicks, even hair!

Grow Vegetables

The benefits to growing your own fruit and vegetables are in abundance; home grown is fresher, it tastes better, it contains no chemicals, saves you money, and reduces single-use plastic packaging so is much better for the environment. Not to mention how rewarding the results are.

Encouraging Wildlife

Encouraging wildlife into your garden is really rewarding and truly brings it to life. It positively impacts the livelihood of certain species and is incredibly beneficial to your garden; reducing the spread of weeds, pollinating your plants, and keeping garden pests such as slugs under control.

Grow Wildflowers

Bees and butterflies are drawn to wildflowers and are a great way to attract wildlife into your garden. Our Buddleia weyeriana ‘Sungold’ is a particular favourite of butterflies.

Create a Water Feature or Pond

If you have space for a pond this will diversify your garden ecosystem and allow you to keep fish and frogs as well as attracting beautiful insects like dragonflies. If not, a small water feature will help to attract different creatures.

Hang a Bird Feeder

A bird feeder filled with unsalted peanuts, fat balls, or seed mixes are ideal for attracting a range of bird species. Alongside this it’s a good idea to have a bird bath of some kind to provide your feathered visitors with a water source for drinking and washing.