Featured: Five Easy-to-Grow Plants for the Budding Gardener

With summer coming around, the sun is beginning to shine and the weather is beginning to heat up. That means only one thing for gardens across the globe — flowers! Gardening is a fantastic hobby to take up, but how does one get into a world of seeds, roots and weeds when there is so much to learn? The answer is simple — start with the easiest seeds and work your way up. If you’re a budding gardener wondering where to begin, why not try these simple plants that every beginner should be able to maintain to a high standard!

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are exceptionally easy to grow and maintain, but they also have a beautifully vibrant colour that will look fantastic in any garden! To maintain a sunflower, you need very little: a pot or area to sow the seed into, some soil, sunflower seeds and a stake for support when your sunflower begins to grow.

To grow a sunflower, you simply need to place the seed roughly 2-3 centimetres deep into a pot or border filled with soil. Water regularly and keep in a sunny place. Once the sunflower grows large enough, ensure you support it by attaching it to a wooden stake — bamboo stakes can normally be bought from your local DIY store for a small fee — with twine in order to support the stem. Then you simply have to watch as it grows towards the sky!

Watercress

Although not as pretty as other plants, watercress is a popular part of salads and sandwiches across the world. In addition, watercress is incredibly easy to grow — so easy, in fact, that schools across the United Kingdom are well known for getting young school pupils to grow watercress. To grow watercress, you only need a container, cotton wool and seeds as it is very versatile — it can also be planted in soil.

For watercress, simply line the bottom of your container — schools commonly use plastic water cups — with cotton wool, and wet the cotton wool. Sow the seeds on top and place it in a sunny, sheltered area. Watercress grows quickly, and once it begins to peek over the top of your container, you can cut it, wash it and sprinkle it in a sandwich or pop it on a salad!

Sweetpea

Well known for their soft pastel colours and distinctive fragrance, sweetpea are a beautiful addition to any garden! Perhaps a little more difficult to grow than the previous two, sweetpea may require a little more in the way of gardening gear — a trellis or flower support is perfect for allowing sweetpea to climb — but they are definitely worth the effort!

When growing sweetpea, simply pop the seeds roughly 1 centimetre deep into a pot full of soil. It may be beneficial to attach your plant support into the pot at this stage too, as this will train the plant to grow up the support when it is germinating. Water frequently, and watch as this plant grows wild and attracts butterflies and bees to your garden!

Nasturtium

Nasturtium are the best of both worlds — a beautiful flower and also an edible addition to a salad! These bright flowers grow wild, and also a little heavily so ensure you’ve got a pot big enough for them to expand in! Requiring only warmth, soil and water, nasturtium are great to begin a garden with if you’re looking for a burst of colour.

Plant nasturtium seeds about two centimetres deep after any chance of frost has passed. Once you have done this, you simply need to water and look out for dead areas. If any dead areas appear — these will be instantly recognisable as the flowers will be shrivelled and the leaves yellow — simply pick these off of the plants to allow the nutrients to go to other areas of the plant!

Marigold

There are literally dozens of different types of marigold to choose from, and that’s what makes this wonderful annual plant as popular as it is! They grow quickly, and have wonderfully vibrant flowers that will make your garden look golden and lush! Marigolds tend to bloom heavily all summer, so these plants are ideal if you want a continual stream of colour for the entire summer period.

Marigold seeds require a much deeper planting than other seeds — roughly 15 centimetres deep is the ideal planting depth. Once planted, you simply need to ensure you water these plants — at the base, not onto the flowerhead directly — and they will continue to bloom for the entire season.

Gardening can be time-consuming and also rather difficult to begin with, but if you keep at it you’ll soon have a beautiful, vibrant garden full of multi-functioning plants! Starting with these five will give you a chance to hone your green thumb and, hopefully, span a streak of inspiration that you didn't know was possible!

Special thanks to isak valtersen and losing control. for editing!

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