Green thumb tips: How to trust your instincts for thriving plants

Your new garden has been freshly planted and the professionals have left. The lawn is growing, shrubs and perennials are developing nicely. If you're a garden newbie, you might be wondering how you can make sure it stays that way.

The good news is that plants often show you what they need. "Caring means putting yourself in the plants' shoes and understanding them," says Anja Maubach, perennial gardener and garden designer based in the western German city of Wuppertal. Rely on your gut feeling while studying the plants' needs, she advises. "That way, you learn to notice whether pruning is necessary or whether dense plants need to be divided."

Developing a sense of timing

Spring is generally the time for pruning perennials as temperatures rise. However, the precise timing can depend on the weather. "The dry shoots and leaves are a kind of winter coat for the plant," explains Maubach.

At first, you might be wary of getting started. But Maubach recommends thinking of it this way: each time you prune your plants is an experience that will make you more confident in the long run.

Fertilize the plants from spring onwards. As soon as the lawn starts growing, mow regularly and dethatch it. That involves removing dead organic material and moss on a lawn when the layer of thatch has become too thick and prevents grass growth. Check the following year to see if you need to dethatch again.

Do without automation

Watering is a must in long hot summers. "The be-all and end-all of garden care is walking through the garden with an open eye," says Uschi App from a German gardening and landscaping association. An automated irrigation system is not advisable, both App and Maubach agree.

Irrigation systems often use too much water and not all plants benefit from them, says App. "Drip irrigation tubing may be advisable for a bed of perennials. But it does not supply a large tree with water all the way down to the deep root layers."

Garden owners should intervene when the garden needs support. "Water the plant so that it has the strength to flourish in tough weather and high temperatures," says Maubach.

Of course, some specific gardening knowledge is always helpful and you can rest assured that you will acquire it over time.

Some perennials, for example, like to be pruned in summer because that allows them to sprout more compactly and reduces their water consumption.

"Catmint, for instance, should be pruned after the first flowering so that it continues to provide insects with food in late summer," says App. The same applies to lady's mantle, blue sage and cranesbill.

Animals as garden helpers

Perennials can be pruned one more time in autumn. However, more and more hobby gardeners and professionals are postponing this until spring, preserving the seed heads as food for birds and providing a refuge for insects.

Tending a garden always means keeping an eye on the entire ecosystem, including the animals that inhabit and are beneficial to it. Some insects pollinate flowers, for example, while others keep pests at bay.

Some gardeners are convinced that shoots and flowers that have turned brown are better not removed, though that often doesn't correspond with people's idea of a well-maintained garden. "To me, it is always important that paths are clean and that people enjoy sitting on the garden benches," says Maubach. App, on the other hand, values neatly cut lawns and trimmed hedges. Yet, neither of the experts minds beds of perennials that look a bit wilder.

The key is to look after your own garden yourself and always act responsibly, Maubach says.