So how green are your fingers? If you have no knowledge of gardening at all and the nearest you have ever come to growing something is leaving the grass too long before you mow it, all is not lost. The key to starting to learn about this part of gardening is to start small and build your knowledge and confidence as you go.

If you have decided you want to add some flowers and plants to your garden, the best way to start is by visiting your local garden centre. There will always be helpful staff on hand to give you the assistance you need, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Just let them know you are a beginner and you want something that is easy to maintain.

It is no secret that a veranda or other outdoor space can look sensational when various different plants are added to it. They certainly soften the overall look beautifully. Don’t aim for too much to begin with though; start with just two or three plants and see how you get on.

The best plants to try will vary depending on several things, including where you live, the type of soil you have in your garden and what type of weather you generally get. You also need to bear in mind which direction your garden is facing in, since this will affect how much sun it gets during the day in the summer months.

A good idea is to write down the answers to all these points and take them along with you when you go to buy some plants. That way the staff at the garden centre will know what to recommend.

Alternatively, you may want to liven up your patio with a number of pots instead of trying to fill an entire bed with plants. This is probably the easiest way for the beginner to get started. You can always move the pot if you need to in order to give your fledgling plant a better chance of finding the spot it really likes in your garden. In this case you can buy the type of soil your particular plant will like the most, instead of relying on what your garden can give you.

Think about choosing perennials if you can, because they will last longer and be more fulfilling for you initially. A good perennial may be a part of your garden for three years or more, whereas an annual will only be there for a few months. Perennials will give you the chance to tend to them and nurture them, improving your gardening skills and making your fingers a little greener than they would be otherwise!

Any garden is a learning experience, and you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself if your first few plants wither away and never really come to anything. Avoid going for the hardest tasks first and don’t try and grow anything from seed; there will be plenty of time later on for that!