What to buy and plant to make your garden grow
Here's what to buy and plant now to make even the smallest, saddest garden a sanctuary during social distancing
Bee Bombs
Instead of faffing around with lots of different seeds and curating different flower beds, make your own wildflower medley by planting Bee Bombs. Each simple-to-use ball contains thousands of seeds from 18 native wildflower species, mixed with clay and nurturing topsoil. All you need to do is pop them into the ground and wait to watch your own mini-meadow spring to life. One Bee Bomb provides coverage for approximately two square metres so will be more than sufficient for smaller London spaces (we've planted one in a much smaller plot and it worked fine). And of course, as the name suggests, the variety of plants is chosen specifically to benefit and boost the bees.
Instant blooms and hardy plants
Gardeners will tell you that you have to sow seeds early in preparation for each season. But if you missed the memo and were too busy to prepare the garden for spring, there's a shortcut to instant blooms. Crocus delivers to your door and has a wide selection of more mature plants that are ready to go straight into your garden. Best of all, you can browse by 'In Flower This Month'.
Click here to browse plants that are flowering now
For those with limited space, Waitrose Gardening has a specially curated selection of plants that are perfect for pots and it even specifies what size pot you need. So you can pick the prettiest, safe in the knowledge you need only a pot and a tiny patch of sun for it to thrive.
Click here to browse plants that are perfect for pots
For big impact and minimal effort, go for potted trees and shrubs. We love Patch Plants, who will deliver a lemon tree to bring a little slice of the Mediterranean to your garden, or a date palm for an urban jungle feel.
Click here to browse Patch's outdoor plants
Statement pots and planters
Bright pots are the quickest and most reliable way to bring colour to a garden all year round. Think vertically for small spaces with plant ladders or shelves and mix up proportions with an assortment of big and small pots.
Clockwise from top left: The Conran Shop Face Pot in Matt Blue, £45 - buy here, Soho Home Petal Plant Pot, from £44 – buy here, H&M Home Rattan Plant Pot, £19.99 – buy here, Small Seagrass Tribal Basket in Black, £30 – buy here.
Regrow from your fruit and vegetables
Savour the satisfaction of growing your own produce by using the fruit and vegetable scraps that would be usually be destined for the compost bin. Success is far from guaranteed, but it's a free and productive use of time... and if you get just a few things to grow you can reap the benefits and feel a little smug in your self-sufficiency.
Tools of the trade
You don't need much in your armoury to tend to a garden. Invest in a few key tools to help you prune, water and plant and you'll soon find your green fingers.
Clockwise from top left: Opinel gardening set, £65 – buy here, Kent & Stow Prong Cultivator, £10 – buy here, Glass watering can, £19.99 – buy here, Niwaki Golden Spade, £34 – buy here.
