If you’ve inherited a garden that might have been someone’s hobby, but you don’t want to make it yours, plan some changes to make life easier.

- If there are too many borders, grass them over. Mowing is easier than maintaining borders and can be delegated to non-gardening family members or a contractor.

- If you’ve a very large garden, yet don’t want to move, have the top part near the house fenced, hedged or walled off in some way. Keep this tidy and turn the rest into a paddock. Plant a few good trees, surround with stock-proof fencing, and allow local horse or sheep owners to graze their animals there.

- In tiny gardens, a paved area with no lawn and plants in raised beds and containers will make life easier.

- Instead of apologizing for an untidy garden, create organized chaos, introduce log piles and more plants to attract bees, butterflies, and birds. Call it a wildlife friendly garden and everyone will be impressed.

Keeping our gardens as clear of weeds as we can is important not just from an aesthetic point of view, but also because weeds tangle themselves up with our cultivated plants, competing for space, light, air, water, and nutrients. Their eradication and control may seem like a chore, but weeding can be surprisingly satisfying and is best tackled little and often. Clearing an area of weeds also brings us into close proximity with our plants. Enjoying the peppery fragrance of lupins, the textural buds on moss roses and the mouthwatering aromas from aniseed-scented agastache or rosemary are some of the side-benefits of weeding.

Even if we can’t prevent weeds appearing, there are plenty j of ways to control them and make life as difficult as possible for them.

Don’t excavate for a pond where there is a naturally high water table because the pressure from below will push the liner up, forcing the pond water out. You can work out the level of your water table by excavating a hole until you see water. It is best to do this in winter, when any water table will be higher than in summer.

Don’t position the pond under or close to deciduous trees. Autumn leaves will be a problem over a four to six week period.

Don’t site a large pond in full sun because it will attract green algae (which respond to sunlight). If there is no alternative site, in the northern hemisphere, you should plant a selection of bulky shrubs on the south side to cast shade over part of the surface of the water.

Don’t forget that for moving water, the pump will be powered by electricity. Consider access to household current and make sure you employ a qualified electrician.

Don’t construct the pond on sloping ground. The water surface will always be level, leaving the liner exposed at the highest end.

Don’t undertake too major a job. Employ a contractor to do the heavy work.

Safety: remember that all electrical work must be undertaken by a qualified electrician. Water and electricity don’t mix well. Always switch the power supply off at the main before repairing or cleaning the pond, or servicing the pump.

Where there is concern for young children and the risk of accidents, cover the pond with galvanized wire mesh. This in turn may, for aesthetic reasons, be covered with water-worn, smooth river stones. Fencing the pond is a practical, if unattractive, alternative.

Thick strands of dark green blanket weed are best removed by hand or with a net, or by twisting them around a brush shaft. Never use a rake, fork or other sharp tool in the pond; the liner is tough but not immune to being punctured.

Oxygenating plants quickly form a mass of foliage. In summer, this carpet should be thinned to prevent it choking the pond. In autumn remove dying foliage before it sinks to the bottom as the gases that are released when it rots may be harmful to fish and other pond life

Any weeds, plants, debris, or bottom mud that is removed from the should be left beside the pond overnight to give insects a chance to return to the water, before it is dumped or put on the compost heap.

Tips for gardening on sandy soil
- A good way of conserving water in sandy areas is to mulch beds with a layer of shingly stones. Start by digging and enriching your flower bed with plenty of humus. Choose a good range of drought-tolerant plants and plant them slightly above the soil. Water thoroughly and mulch with a 3-4-inch layer of shingly stones (not too fine). The stones will help to keep out the weeds and protect the soil from evaporation.

Tips for gardening on clay
- If you need to access heavy clay soil, or are standing on a lawn edge, use boards to spread the weight.

- Improve drainage for crops like garlic by planting into ridges made above soil level. This is especially useful for winter crops and early plantings, because the roots are raised out of the coldest, soggiest part of the soil.

- To dry a cold, wet, heavy soil early in the year prior to planting and sowing, cover with plastic sheeting. Alkathene piping fixed over beds in hoops will raise the plastic off the soil to keep rain off but will allow air in to dry and warm the soil.

- Drying soil by covering is easier when the beds are only 4 feet or so wide and slightly raised above the surrounding level.

Metal gates
Metal gates are usually made of wrought iron. Choose one that is not too flimsy, particularly if it is the garden gate. They may be ornamental or security gates, but the overall impact is formal. An architectural blacksmith can help you with your own design. I once saw a fabulous gate decorated with old garden tools. Whatever you choose, make sure it blends with the surroundings and is not too ostentatious; it should not be noticed for the wrong reasons! Wrought iron combines well with brick walls. Always hang gates so that they are high enough and don’t scrape on the ground when opened. Metal gates need regular painting, particularly on the underside, to ensure they don’t rust. Be bold and paint them in a bright color.

Wooden gates
Wooden gates can be traditional or contemporary, using the same material as the fence to create a sense of uniformity. Keep the design simple. A carpenter can help you realize your dreams!

Low-growing plants for the woodland floor include a range of early spring bulbs. There are English bluebells, wood anemones, and winter aconites, all of which love a shaded, weed-free floor littered with a mulch of leaf mold. A small area of woodland can be made to seem larger by meandering the path through the planting and doubling back to give the impression of a walk through a larger area. In the early years, it will be necessary to deal with weeds by mulching, chemicals, or hand weeding. Eventually, as the canopy of leaves shuts out light, the ground will become weed free. Laying a deep mulch of bark or wood chippings will help beat the weeds and provide a forest-like feel. Small trees will become established and grow more quickly than expensive, large trees. As the trees grow, trim off the lower branches for better access.

Planning a woodland garden
- Plant climbers to scramble through the canopy. Honeysuckle, climbing roses, and clematis should all succeed in these conditions.
- Plant spring bulbs that will die down before the soil becomes dry in summer.
- Avoid fast-growing conifers such as the Leyland cypress.
- Use vermin guards for a few years to stop local small mammals eating your young trees.

Key Tasks – Spring: tidying up, pruning, freshening paths. Autumn: pruning.

Having said that, a wildflower garden does need considerable attention unless you are going to allow it to become really wild, if you see what I mean! Refrain from cutting the herbage until the flowers have set seed. Then leave the hay for a few days and, if the weather is dry, toss it on site to make sure the seed is dispersed before adding it in thin layers to the compost heap. Many of the annual flowers that set seed will germinate the following spring and continue the cycle.

Key tasks – Fate spring: planting. Fate summer: hay-cutting.

Planning a rockery
- Restrict the planting areas to pockets of weed-free soil among the rocks.
- Soil should be free draining.
- Mulch the soil surface with a 2-inch layer of clean, coarse grit for drainage and as a weed control. This will also help keep the collars of the alpine plants dry and prevent rotting.
- Choose plants that are not aggressive or prone to smothering neighboring alpines.
- Stick to one type of rock, making sure that the strata (lines) of sandstone or similar lie in the same direction.
- Lay each piece of rock on a firm base to prevent movement.

Key tasks
Spring: tidying up and applying grit. Autumn: cutting back and protecting tender plants.