If you are starting to grow plants – then avoid these problems

• Avoid exotic plants from warmer climates – they are likely to be delicate and struggle in the UK through lack of sun, warms and an excess of rain. Ask your garden center if unsure.
• Look around your area and see what does well – from my window I can see holly and hawthorn with some yellow forsythia in the hedge. Then there are daffodils and polyanthus under Choysia (Aztec Pearl) and flowering currant shrubs with roses that are just coming into leaf.
• If you are new to gardening try to avoid expensive disappointments that may put you off.
• http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1072507871045285131EeZIpp?vhost=home-and-garden
• Avoid seeds until you have some experience unless you are really keen. They can be labour intensive and not as successful as seedlings, plug plants and plants bought ready grown.
• To cover a large area and are keen to try seeds look for those that you can sow direct into the ground the bigger the seeds the better for spacing eg Sunflower, Nasturtiums, Sweet peas, Calendula and at the smaller, scatter it for fun end Night Scented Stocks, Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

• Avoid buying plants that look like they are in distress. I have just seen a large display of dead and dying plants and seedlings inside a hot, airless, dry national chain. Otherwise good seedlings were withered and discounted or just plain dean. Shrubs in plastic bags with a printed wrapper were showing ‘forced’ leaves that were thin spindly and weak. Not only did I leave the plants alone I left the shop alone and will do in the future.
• Avoid planting at the wrong time. I know you wouldn’t plant out in the garden your house plants in the middle of winter, would you? In fact most plants are best planted after the danger of frost has passed – some time in May depending where your gardening.
• By the same token it is no use planting a fruit tree in May for a crop that year as it needs to drink through summer – in fact the backend is better as it then has time to settle.
• Spring bulbs also need a period of winter time in the ground so plant Daffodils in Sept/Oct and Tulips in November to give you a better spring show.

Other Resources

Royal Horticultural Society RHS ‘Gardening for All’
National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens ‘Conservation through Cultivation.’
Garden Organic National Charity for Organic Gardening.
BBC Gardening