Gardening expert shares her top 4 year-round garden tips – ‘basic but important!’

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Gardening expert and author Annie Burdick has shared her tips and hacks for those looking to improve their gardening skills. With so many gardening rules out there, it can be hard to figure out which ones are the most important to follow. For those who are unsure, gardening author Annie has shared her top four tips exclusively with Express.co.uk while discussing her new book, Gardening for Mind, Body and Soul.

Garden what you love

It can be tempting to simply plant what’s on trend or the easiest plants.

However, this doesn’t always guarantee a happy gardener, according to Annie.

The gardening author said gardeners – whether amateur or professional – should focus on gardening things they love.

She explained: “I think people should focus on gardening for things they will use and that they love versus what they think they should do or think is easiest.

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“If you plant something to grow for food you hate eating, it’s not going to bring you the amount of joy that something else would that you love to eat and that you want to thrive.”

Pick a sustainable approach

Sustainability has been at the forefront of many gardeners’ thoughts as England and Wales look to ban the sale of peat to gardeners by 2024.

Gardeners can also give a back to their gardens by taking a sustainable approach with the plant choices they make and composting.

Annie said: “I think people should choose a sustainable approach to gardening.

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“I believe it’s one of the best things we can do.

“Gardening really is giving a little bit back to the earth.

“You are already doing so many sustainable things by gardening and you can increase that by choosing local plants, encouraging wildlife to enter the garden, composting things you don’t use like scraps and dead plants and turning it into new soil.

“All that is really beneficial.”

Drainage

One of the key rules when planting containers is to make sure pots and tubs have holes in the base of them.

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“If you’re planting in pots, always, always, always have drainage,” Annie said.

“That’s a basic but important fact that people sometimes miss!”

Share the wealth

If you love growing fruit and vegetables but often grow too many to eat, Annie recommended sharing them with friends and family.

She said: “If you’re planting something that produces any kind of bounty – whether it’s vegetables, fruit, flowers or herbs – use it in a way that you can give it to people that you care about.

“Make your herbs into something you can share or have people over to eat things from your garden.

“Give extra stuff over to people who live nearby.

“It can become a community thing that makes gardening so much more enjoyable.”

In her new book, Gardening for Mind, Body and Soul, Annie discusses the health and well-being benefits of gardens and gardening alongside tips to help people get the best out of their gardens.

Annie lives in Oregon with her partner and two rescue dogs and loves finding new adventures in her spare time.

She has written for Eater, Apartment Therapy, MyDomaine, AFAR, and many other publications.

Gardening for Mind, Body and Soul: How to Nurture Your Well-Being with Nature by Annie Burdick is published by Summersdale Publishers.

The book will be available to purchase from February 10 for £12.99.

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