Picture yourself smelling the roses in your own garden. Or relaxing in flowery tranquillity in the comfort of your own space. Feel too good to be true? It isn’t! Many people try and fail to grow a new garden. But I believe that with a little bit of insight into how gardens actually work, we can all be successful with planning, planting and growing our own beautiful gardens.
My name is Becky. I’m the author of the brand-new book Grow a New Garden. Through my years of gardening, I have started numerous new gardens. And I’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes. I also happened to be an ecologist and gardening expert, so I’ve poured my knowledge into this book to create something truly unique. Grow a New Garden takes you through every step you need to take to plan, design and create your garden in a way that is organic and positive for the environment. Here’s some advice to get you started.
Grow a New Garden
There are so many wonderful reasons to grow a new garden. Did you know that even walking past a nice garden regularly has been proven to improve people’s mental health? If you spend time outdoors, surrounded by plants and other nature, it reduces anxiety, improves mood and even lowers your blood pressure. And where better to commune with nature than somewhere you can go in your dressing gown! I love going out to my garden first thing in the morning, hot cup of coffee in hand. It makes for the perfect start to the day.
However, so many people face challenges in their gardens that have the exact opposite effect on their mental health. One of my friends recently told me that everything he plants outside dies. Another said that they couldn’t be bothered with weeds anymore and were thinking about laying fake grass *shudders*.
So how can we get it right? To avoid the heartbreak and find it encouraging, fun and relaxing rather than stressful and demoralising?
How to Start a Garden From Scratch
If you want to grow a new garden or want to start a garden from scratch there are a few things to know first. The health of your plants depends almost entirely on the health of your soil. So, if the soil is poor, your plants will struggle. Struggling plants are more likely to succumb to pests, and that will understandably make you sad! Poor soil also grows more weeds – yes, you read that correctly.
Soil that is struggling will automatically produce more of a particular type of nitrogen called nitrates. Nitrates help boost weed growth. Weeds in turn help to improve the soil health, but if you’re experiencing a lot of weeds, you likely have poor soil. Similarly, bare soil will grow weeds too, because weeds help to feed the soil. My new book Grow a New Garden goes into detail on how this works, but for now, let’s just say it does!
The next thing you need to know is that if you only have a few plants in your garden, there is less food for the pests. Whilst this might mean that they go elsewhere to dine, what is more likely is that they just eat the few plants you have, rather than travelling. So, it is usually better to plant your garden and plant multiple plants at the same time. This will help them have time to establish without being eaten first.
Timing is also crucial. Plant growth will be fastest when it’s warm and sunny, so if you are worried about your beloved plants being eaten, plant them out later in the year, and make sure they have enough water.
How to Plan a New Garden
First you will need an overhead drawing of your garden that is to scale. The easiest way of doing that nowadays is by using Google Maps. Zoom in on your garden, and then print off or trace around your garden to create a plan. You will then need to do some measuring. Make sure you know how long the fences, walls, hedges etc are, and mark them on your plan. This will help you work out where to put things and what sizes you will need. Mark on your plan which direction is north, south, east and west.
From there, you can decide where your paths, patio, greenhouse, shed, pizza oven, swing set or high-tech outdoor cinema will go. Use your measurements to make sure everything will fit. Try to reserve sunny parts of your garden for flowers, and use shady spots for things like sheds and compost bins. Get creative and think about creating shade where you will need it, using vertical space and how you will get around the garden. Grow a New Garden goes into this in more detail (but not so much detail that it leaves you totally confused)! It’s an approachable and fun book.
Grow a New Garden: Planning Your Planting
Firstly, you will need to know the conditions you are planting into. What is the soil like? Is it acidic? Neutral? Is it well-drained? And how much sun is it likely to receive? Usually, gardens will have sunny spots and shady spots, so you will need to make these assessments for everywhere you want to plant. If an area receives more than 6 hours of direct sunlight in a day, it is in full sun. If it gets some direct sunlight, but less than 6 hours, it is partial shade. No direct sunlight is considered to be shade or full shade.
Make a list of plants that will work in the conditions you have. I do this by going onto a plant-selling website that allows you to filter by conditions and then just add the ones I like to my cart. The beauty of this is that you then get to see them all together and which ones go together and which ones don’t.
When planting you should always try and buy in multiples, usually in odd numbers (you will see a lot of places online sell in packs of three or more). This helps to create continuity in your garden and a more natural look. It’s the difference between good-looking gardens and gardens that look a mess.
Most people make the mistake of buying a plant because they like it. But think about how it will work in your space, and if it’s ok, buy three! My lovely friend Kenny Raybauld is a garden designer who works with Covent Garden. He gave me some amazing top tips for a great-looking garden. I have distilled these into words that mere mortals like you and I can understand and put them into my book.
How to Grow a New Garden
I know that I keep shamelessly plugging my book, but I’m really excited about it, and I want you to be too! I believe that it could help a lot of people start a new garden, which could benefit them in so many ways. Moreover, it is written in a way that helps people start and continue completely organically, working with nature. If you’re not quite ready for a book purchase, why not see my 10 top tips on starting a new garden.
If you’re interested in the book, here’s what Huw Richards, author of The Permaculture Garden has to say about it:
‘A brilliant balance of the why and the how. This book will pioneer the next generation of gardens. Grow a New Garden is the ultimate gardening tool in the shape of a book.’
And here’s what Charles Dowding, author of No Dig says:
‘I thoroughly recommend this book to beginners and also to experienced gardeners for inspiring descriptions of simple, beautiful things you can do.’
Grow a New Garden is available from all major online retailers, and in-store from 3rd April 2025.
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