If you are new to gardening and have found yourself in charge of a piece of ground in need of cultivating, you may be feeling a little out of your depth. Horticulture can be a tense, difficult business, but with some guiding assistance, you will soon find that it is also an enjoyable pastime.

Before you can sit peacefully in your floral paradise on beautiful teak garden furniture, it is first necessary to organise a ground plan for your garden. On a piece of paper, sketch out an idea of where you think you would like to have flower beds, paths, trees and shrubs, and then set to work putting this project into action.

When it comes to flower selection, you may find that you need to consult with the experts. Take a trip down to your local garden centre and ask for advice on what kind of thing to buy. Stress that you are new to gardening, and that hardwearing plants might be better than those which require very meticulous attention to maintain.

You might also want to take a sample of your soil along with you. Depending on its quality, certain flowers will be more suited to grow in it than others, and if you accidentally opt for the wrong plant, you'll quickly find yourself saddled with a multitude of withering shrubs.

In short, successful gardening is, in the beginning at least, a matter of careful planning, and also of listening to advice. Don't shy away from experienced horticulturists; take their recommendations to heart and use them to develop a healthy, flourishing garden.