Take stock of your garden, of what plants you have and where. What is doing well and what is battling.
Design your garden with thought - stop planting willy-nilly and draw up a design or plan of what you want to experience in your garden. Think of it as giving your architect a brief. Maybe you want the sound of running water and the smell of roses? Write down your concept and design – how much and how many.
Interrogate yourself on what you are able to do/ what your gardener can do. Be honest! If you have very little time and a gardener once a week, do not plan for elaborate beds, plantings and labyrinths.
Google is notoriously bad at assisting in garden design in general. Stick to books and local knowledge at your nursery.
Address your needs, and what makes you happy. Think of the garden as a room. The lawn or gravel is the floor, the plants your walls… Consider colours you like. Do you want bright, clashing colours or pastel soothing colours or plain white or blue and white? Incorporate this into your plan.
Prepare the soil: treat it like a body. Compost houses micro organisms and enriches the soil, gives texture and helps retain moisture and good drainage. Decide whether to go Organic or Commercial and don’t change horses once you have started. Manure needs to be mixed with compost, and don’t go overboard! The soil needs minerals too, such as bonemeal (organic) or superphosphate (commercial.) It only works when it is worked into the soil. Fertiliser (general 2:3:2 ) is like vitamins are to the body. Worm castings are great, best diluted with water.
Don’t dig your garden too much. Loosen the soil a little just to keep it oxygenated.
Mulch your garden. We are a dry country and mulch is crucial. Keep your beds covered with bark/peach stones/wood shavings/commercial mulch. Dry mulch can attract ants. So consider living mulch – ground covers and succulents which will prevent moisture loss.
Don’t drench the soil (when water is plentiful again) - plants can only absorb so much! Roses, for example, only need 1 drench per week in well-drained soil.
Use as much organic pesticides as you can. You can make your own with boiled up chopped chillies in water. Allow to cool and add a drop or two of Sunlight liquid.
Francesca Beattie