Hello everybody.

Well, the season is about to start and many of you have been visiting us over the last few weeks. It’s been a ball sharing all the experiences with you, answering your questions, and helping you realise your gardening dreams or plans. Tatiana and I do manage to sit down for a break and a few days ago we were musing over different types of gardeners.

I suppose, there is no such thing as the perfect gardener. Every person has their own style and rhythm, and we did, sort of, come up with a few categories. Again, we want to help you to make the most of your garden while still being yourself.

Some of you are the hands-off or perhaps, comfortable gardeners. You enjoy your garden but doing the work in it is not really your cup of tea. You rely on the weather to take care of your plants and tidying up the garden once in the spring is enough hard work.

There is nothing wrong with this relaxed approach. But you’d be surprised to know how grateful your garden is for a little care and attention to help it grow and thrive.

To help you, we suggest you pave part of your garden and decorate the rest with small, planted areas and/or flower or vegetable beds. Then you will have to take care of less and the garden can still be both beautiful and practical.

If you add pots, bottles, and containers to create a small and efficient vegetable garden, then you can look after it and water it in no time. Finally, you can enjoy the pleasure of harvesting your own produce without sacrificing time for relaxation.

The next category is, hmm, perhaps the concerned gardener. Most of you who visit our garden centre fall in this group. You are unsure which plants and vegetables to choose for your garden and you don’t know whether to plant the same thing again or try something new. You fear you don’t have the same green thumb as your neighbours and wonder if the palm tree you just planted fits the theme of your garden. You wonder if watering your plants and vegetables once a week is enough. Should you water them every two days instead? Are you using enough water or, in one case, even the right water?

But don’t worry. We always have a solution that will help you put your worries to rest and get back to enjoying gardening instead. Usually, we advise you to choose familiar plants and vegetables that are easy to cultivate. For example, if roses are problematic to care for, choose ferns, lavender, Chinese reed, or black-eyed rudbeckia instead. You will be more confident and relaxed.

We also tell you to free yourself from the idea that flowers have to be perfect, vegetables and fruit immaculate and the lawn immaculate. We can’t stress enough that the most important thing is that your garden has its own unique charm.

Some of you are, what we call the sustainable gardener

You already know most of the organic gardening theories in detail, and you enjoy being self-sufficient. You believe a proper compost heap is important and you believe that each composting method has its own merits, and you are aware that a rain barrel or a solar-powered pump system are important parts of your garden.

You use eco-friendly gardening sustainable materials which help preserve a biodiverse ecosystem. But it does get a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it? Here are some words of encouragement.

If you are a beginner and most things about gardening are new to you, remember that everyone started out that way! Don’t let a lack of knowledge dampen your enthusiasm or stop you from learning all there is to know about sustainable gardening. Just get tips and invest some time to educate yourself on the aspects that interest you the most. You may be surprised, but even we gingerly started many years ago, and look where we are now!

And, really, don’t be afraid to try new things. If you try something new and don’t get it right the first time, you will learn from the experience and have more success the next time you try it.

Over time, you will certainly develop into the type of gardener you want to be and find your own way in maintaining your thriving garden, working in harmony with nature and doing the things that bring you the most joy.

And if you are stuck, just drop by at the Brida Garden Centre. Tatiana, I and our coffee machine will love to help you enjoy your garden, whatever type of gardener you are. See you soon!