A beautiful garden starts with good preparation. The location, soil and type of plants are important for your garden design. “With a colourful garden, you create the ultimate seasonal experience” says Jeroen Soontiëns, owner of Soontiëns Hoveniers & tuincentrum. “This way, nature is always close by.
Before picking out beautiful flowers and plants in a garden centre, it is useful to prepare well. Thus, it is smart to consider the location of the plants. Does your garden face north, east, south or west? This greatly affects the amount of sunlight in the garden. That way you will know whether full-sun, partial shade or shade plants grow best in your garden.
Next, think about the look of the garden. Decide whether you want lots of flowers and plants or just a calm-looking garden. It is also useful to consider whether you like to garden a lot or whether a low-maintenance garden suits your needs better. Now you can look for the most beautiful flowers and plants for your garden.
Prepare the garden soil
“The garden soil is a very important factor, because plants get their nutrition from it. So ensure a good starting position in which plants can develop well,” advises Jeroen. First, loosen the soil well, about 20 to 30cm. This allows water to penetrate the soil and not just stay on the surface. Next, you pay attention to soil improvement. You do this by applying compost and feeding the soil. It is good to give the soil new nutrition every spring. This way, you will have the optimal situation in which your plants will grow best.
Elk seizoen een mooie tuin
Of course, you want to enjoy the garden all year round. So make sure there is always something to look at. You do this by taking into account the different flowering times of plants. Some plants flower in spring and others in summer or autumn. There are also plants that stay green all year round. “Get more pleasure out of your garden and choose plants with different flowering times. That way, there is always something to experience,” Jeroen explains. As a result, the plants will never all bloom at the same time, making your garden look colourful all year round.
Want to dress up your veranda with beautiful plants? Then it is best to choose plants that can withstand drought. These plants are easily identified by their grey-coloured and/or somewhat thicker glossy leaves.
How to care for your plants
If you think carefully about planting in advance, it is easy to create a low-maintenance garden. There are several plant species that grow smoothly, requiring little attention. However, a properly prepared soil is a prerequisite for this. It is also advisable to ensure closed foliage to give weeds little room to grow. Using large tiles is another option to combat weeds.
Zo verzorg je jouw planten
What care a plant needs varies by species. Potted plants generally need a lot of attention, as you have to provide them with water and nutrition yourself. The nutrition washes out of the soil quickly, so the plant needs nutrition a few times a season.
Garden plants involve less work. These plants only need nutrition once in spring. If you leave the fallen leaves in autumn, they will be converted into natural food. As a result, providing extra nutrition is often unnecessary. During hot and dry periods, it is smart to water the plants twice a week. Other than that, you can leave the plants alone and they will maintain themselves.
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