insideKENT Magazine Issue 72 - March 2018 | Page 96

OUTDOORLIVING
GROW The Right Garden FOR YOU cont.
If you have little time...
Wildflower Garden
A wildflower garden is the ideal choice for
those who want to create something beautiful
but who don’t have a lot of time to give to their
project. That’s not to say that a wildflower
garden can be completely left to its own
devices, but there certainly is an element
of that.
The key is to buy a variety of different
wildflower seeds rather than just one or two
types. Prepare the soil by digging it over and
then scatter the seeds. For a true wildflower
feel, you can mix the seeds up and scatter
them randomly. If you still want a bit of order
to your garden, then you can break the area
up into sections and plant each type of seed
in its own space.
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If you want to have your flowers in the lawn
rather than just in the bare soil, it’s best to dig
small holes and fill them with seeds – if you
simply scatter them on the grass itself most
of them will end up being eaten by birds. To
stop this from happening, the alternative
option would be to returf your garden with
wildflower turf. Mixed in with the soil are
wildflower seeds, all ready to go. T his can
make for a beautiful surprise when they start
to bloom as you won’t necessarily know what
you were going to see.
Patio Pots
Patio pots can be another excellent way to get
out in the fresh air and make your garden look
beautiful without having to spend hours doing
it. Patio pots don’t have to sit on your patio;
they can go anywhere, making your garden
look gorgeous with fabulous splashes of colour
at random points. Patio pots are brilliant for
gardeners with limited time because you
simply have to water them and pluck out any
weeds that may have been planted by passing
birds or the wind. Plus, you can move them
about to change things up once in a while.
If the pots themselves get dirty, you should
just be able to hose them down then dry them
with a soft cloth. Or, you might want to use a
jet washer, which are really quite fun. Planting
the pots is simple too – you just need some
good soil and compost, and the plants that
you like the look of, bearing in mind when
they are going to look their best, of course.