If you have recently entered the world of gardening, you will doubtless remain a little anxious when it comes to making important decisions about what to plant in your newly acquired piece of land. Planning a new horticultural endeavour is never easy, and it is especially difficult if you have very little experience to substantiate your choices.

Before you get carried away with big purchases like garden sheds sun dials and water features, you will need to organise what you are going to put into your garden and where each choice is going to go. You will, eventually, need a garden design, however, to begin with there are a few more basic undertakings to be getting on with.

Perhaps the most significant of these is to organise a soil test for your garden. Unless you have at least a basic understanding of what kind of earth you are dealing with, it will be very difficult for you to achieve any kind of planting success.

Head down to your local garden centre with a beaker full of soil; even if the consultants there don't have the chemicals and apparatus to conduct a full analysis, they will at least be able to cast a professional eye over things and give you an experienced opinion.

Organising your fist garden is never an easy or stress free undertaking, especially if you are new to gardening. In order to ensure that you select the right flowers and plants for your piece of ground, you will want to get your soil thoroughly looked at by a professional.