TURN OVER A NEW LEAF

Give your garden a well-deserved makeover this spring, with our pick of the hottest new trends. From low maintenance greenery to vertical gardening, we bring you the best in gardening tips and trends.

CURVED BORDERS Gentle, curved borders are a big garden trend for 2020, with rounded flowerbeds and circular lawns adding flow and movement to your outdoors. This effect relies on precision, so make sure that your lawn and flowerbeds are trimmed, with no overspill. If you have a square plot, this trend might seem impossible to achieve. However, you can always soften borders with climbing plants around the edges, or some strategically placed trees.

WAT E R , WAT E R EVERYWHERE The presence of water in gardens is unparalleled - it sparkles, reflecting light, and the way it trickles creates a musical symphony within your garden walls. A pond or fountain is an obvious way to add water, but if you want something more lowkey consider adding a bird bath or ceramic pot water feature.

G ROW YO U R OWN FOOD Fruit and vegetable gardens are becoming more popular, as people take a real interest in where their food comes from. The way to ensure you are getting top-quality, organic produce is to grow it yourself, even if it means supplementing the rest of your diet with supermarket buys. Beginners should start by growing simple food plants, like tomatoes, carrots and green beans, whilst those with greener thumbs can tackle those harder-to-grow vegetables like sweetcorn or aubergine.

LOW MAINTENANCE Low maintenance gardens are a firm favourite for 2020, and we can see why. With busy schedules and ever-increasing workloads, our gardening chores often get pushed aside. To create a low-maintenance garden, opt for shrubs and bushes instead of flowers, preferably those with colourful foliage. Ornamental grasses look great on borders, adding movement when they catch in the wind, whilst plants like rhododendrons and catmint will add a colourful element to your garden.

V E RT I C A L GARDENING Owners of small homes are finding creative ways to incorporate plants into their limited outdoor space. A great way to add variety, whilst saving on space, is to garden vertically, building plant features upwards. Trellises are a great way to do this, winding climber plants around the slats, or you can plant flowers in wall vases and mount them to your garden fence and walls. For a statement piece, fill a few wall vases with trailing plants to create a waterfall of greenery.

WILDLIFE FRIENDLY With more of us concerned about the environment, creating a wildlife-friendly space is becoming a top priority for gardeners. Bee hotels, birdhouses and wildlife ponds are tipped to rise in popularity this year, whilst gardeners are shunning the use of pesticides and repellents, creating a more organic space outdoors. HOMES & GARDENS