New gardening goals: Indulge your green thumb in 2020

It’s a new year! Time to think about your new year’s resolutions, and more specifically, your new year’s resolutions for your green thumb. Is there something you’ve always wanted to try in your garden, but never got around to? Well, we say 2020 is the year to do it. Take a look at our list of gardening ideas that you can add to your list of 2020 gardening goals.

Gardening ideas to get your green thumb in action 

1. Create a rock garden

A natural-looking garden of rocks and drought-resistant, ‘alpine’ plants can look very effective, and mimic the natural South African landscape. If you’re keen to try something new in 2020, your green thumb will jump at the opportunity to create a rock garden.

Location

To create your own rock garden, first, find a suitable location in your garden. Starting with a cleared area is always best, as you have a ‘blank canvas’ for laying out the rocks. 

Rocks

Once you have your location cleared, choose your rocks, and place them around the area, starting with the larger ones. When placing your stones, try to work to a specific ‘vision’ for the end result. The rocks will be the main feature of the garden, so be creative and strategic about their placement. For example, if your rocks have distinctive strata (layers), it’s best to lay them horizontal to the landscape, as they would be in nature.

Plants

When choosing your plants, pick hardy ones that naturally grow in mountainous areas, like aloes, cacti and succulents. Plant them among the rocks in an even, distributed manner, and enjoy your new garden focal point!

2. Start a herb garden

A little herb garden is not only aesthetic to the eye, but also very useful when preparing dishes. And planting your own is quick and easy – just follow these tips: 

Location

To start your herb garden, first find a suitable location in your garden, preferably one that receives a lot of direct sunlight and is relatively sheltered.

Prepare the area

Clear and level the soil, and prepare it with Pokon Lavender & Herb Fertiliser and organic matter. You also might want to raise the bed with our raised vegetable garden. Choose your herbs and consider their placement in your herb garden. Keep the height and spread of each plant in mind when choosing its position, ensuring it has enough light and space to grow properly. 

Plant the herbs

Water the herbs before planting them, loosening the root balls so that they are ready for planting. Dig the holes with a garden trowel and add some fertiliser. Place each plant in the hole, covering it firmly with soil. Finish off the process by watering the herbs thoroughly. And voila! You have a herb garden.

3. Try your hand at landscaping

Everyone wants a beautiful outdoor setting at home. Just think – picnics on the grass, reading a book under the trees, enjoying the company of birds and butterflies. Let’s be honest, time in the garden is a mini-vacation! But landscaping, on the other hand, can be a tricky business, especially if you don’t have a proper plan for your garden space. So here are some important things to consider before getting creative with your flower beds:

Acknowledge the lay of the land

Before putting your green thumb to work, take a look at the typography of your garden and its soil type. Certain plants will grow better in your specific area than others. Also, consider the microclimates created in different spaces of your garden. Take note of which areas receive full sun, partial shade, shade, and deep shade, and plan your garden accordingly. 

Choose a theme

Explore different garden themes and choose one that best suits your garden space and aesthetic preferences. Your landscape can mimic an English garden, be eastern-inspired, have a wild woodland look, or a structured, formal one. If you are including a rock garden in your landscape design, we suggest you consider the xeriscape theme. 

Structure your garden

Once you’ve settled on a theme, choose your plants and get planting. Remember to structure the plants according to the respective visual planes of your garden – the overhead plane, vertical plane and ground plane. The overhead plane includes trees and garden arches, so perhaps you’ll want to designate certain areas of your garden for these larger features. The vertical plane is all about plant proximity – consider how close or far apart your plants will be. Certain plants require more room to grow than others, and each plant has different sunlight requirements. Lastly, plan out your ground plane – this consists of any groundcovers and hardcovers you’ll want to include in your design.

What's your gardening resolution?

If you have a keen green thumb, there’s no doubt you’ll have some gardening activities at the top of your 2020 resolution list. If you’d like to create a rock garden and plant a herb garden, or even attempt the art of landscaping, get all the gardening supplies and flower bulbs you’ll need from our online store.