Gardening is fast becoming the world’s number one hobby, if it is not already and with all the latest aids and information, gardening is now a popular form of natural science. No matter where in the world you live, there is some form of gardening you can indulge in. It is fun to learn about and rewarding in the extreme. There is not much that is more satisfying, than creating and maintaining a lovely garden. If you live in block of flats, if you are elderly and infirm, if you have only a small yard, there is no excuse for not enjoying this pastime. Here are a few of the many benefits.

Gardening allows you to produce your own fruit and vegetables and cuts down on the shopping trips.

Try to keep your gardening organic, try to be nice to the planet and your body.

Gardening allows you to stay fit and healthy, with exercise and fresh outdoor air.

By gardening, you can spend quality family time, in the outdoors environment.

Gardening allows you to boost your creative spirits.

Gardening allows you to to utilize your creativity.

Your garden will become an asset and the envy of your friends and neighbours. 

And as if that isn’t enough, you will get to learn about plants and nature in all it’s glory. Right from trees through to fungi, there are millions of plants to research, grow and eat, so there’s no chance of getting bored in the garden.

First, as with anything else, you have to take your first step, before you are able to run. You have to start somewhere. So start gardening, become a gardener and enjoy your garden.

Are you starting from scratch? That’s the best place to start. Just let your imagination run wild. Picture what you’d like your yard to look like and formulate a plan. Don’t hold back, let those creative thoughts flow. Think how much you can you do with your space. Don’t think for one minute, that a simple lawn, will be enough. Even a lawn needs constant maintaining and regular mowing for the rest of your life.

A plain lawn, no matter how good it is, can get kind of boring to look. You are going to need more than that. Add flowers, beds, rockeries, trees, ponds, bushes, hedges, paving, water features, creepers, vines, the sky is the limit. Think what you can do to enhance and beautify that yard. Think of  creating a butterfly patch, a wildflowers corner, a vegetable patch, a herb garden, a patch of cacti and other succulents. Imagine how much colour you can create, how much you can save in your food bill, save on herbs and spices, save on medicines. You can really accomplish so much in your garden.

Then, next, you will need a shed, to store your tools. Where will that go? Don’t waste a sunny spot with a garden structure. Sheds don’t need to be in full sun to survive!

What about some garden furniture? Rather than going for the normal patio furniture, can you place benches and small tables in comfy spots near the honeysuckle, or round the herb garden, or next to the pond, or what about sitting alongside the fountain? You see how much choice you have?

Once you have a reasonable idea of all you want from your garden, make some notes and think about it for a while. Draw it out on paper. Do you need to replace fences and gates, do you need some landscaping, do you need a new lawn, are you going to install a pool? Work through the bigger things first. You don’t wan’t to make a nice lawn and pretty garden and then have it dug up. Don’t rush it. Get your thoughts together first as you could land up doing the same job twice. Browse through garden catalogs, take a little time looking at other gardens, speak to the advisors at the garden shop and do a little careful planning.

But, don’t procrastinate for too long. Don’t let the good ideas wither, into another thing you wanted to do, but didn’t get around to. If you have enough of a budget, to complete the landscaping and then buy your garden structures and furniture, do that first and position them in your garden. This will inspire you further. Then create your flower beds, vegetable plots and wildlife patches, around these structures.

If you don’t have cash up front, don’t worry about it. Start saving. Think about your plans everyday and you will find they will come to you. For now, prepare the space, as if you did have the shed, or bench, or pond and work around these areas, starting to add some colour. Planting flowers and trees and shrubs won’t cost much, but will further inspire you.

Start all the garden beds and work on them as and when you can, or start one patch and get it finished, before moving on to the next. How you work in your garden depends on a number of things, like your time, the size of the land and your budget, whether helping hands are available, the seasons and the weather, your desire and your energy levels.

Treat gardening as an ongoing hobby, rather than just a project, to be started and finished. Plants are growing life forms and will always continue changing the shape and feel of your garden. Go with it where you can, and prune heavily where you have to!

Get the kids involved, with quick-germinating seeds and fast-growing plants. Many retailers offer special seed mixtures, for kids. Pumpkins are great for getting the kids interested in gardening. Learn about edible flowers and teach the children what can and can’t be eaten and why. You will find that once you’ve started, you really develop a passion and cannot stop.

A garden is therapeutic, good exercise, rewarding, educational and fun and it gives you and your family hours of healthy outdoor life, rather than sitting cooped up indoors, in front of the TV.

If your home’s landscape is designed properly, it will be a source of enjoyment for your entire family. It will enhance your community and add to the resale value of your property. Landscape design involves much more than just placing trees, shrubs and other plants on the property. It is an art, which deals with conscious arrangement, or organization of outdoor space, for human satisfaction and enjoyment. If you need more info on landscaping, this is a great book to read. Master the art of landscaping your garden and save a ton of money. Get it now. In The Homeowner’s Guide To Landscaping, you will learn how to organise and develop your yard, for maximum use and pleasure and you will learn how to create a visual relationship between the house and the site and also how to reduce maintenance to the minimum. Take a look here http://dersalsites.com/lscap/

Sally Robson is an up and coming, South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. She and her husband Derek, have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. She also has a passion for gardening.

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For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally’s website at http://www.dersalsites.com/gardening/  and her blog at http://dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips

For more on internet marketing, South African business, law of attraction and rugby, visit Derek’s blog at: http://dersalsites.com/southafricanbusiness/

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