Soils

A few garden plants object to less than perfect pH and will respond positively when given ideal soil to grow in. A simple soil test will tell you what kind of soil you have, so you can choose plants that like those conditions, or change the conditions to suit the kind of plants you like.

If you live in an area where rainfall records get smashed; or your land has a low-lying spot by a creek; or there's a patch of lawn that always seems to have a persistent puddle or two after a storm - here's our three-step help for your garden

Creating a compost heap is a really simple and helpful thing to do for your garden, however small your outdoor patch. You can make free compost to improve your soil quality and your plants' health; and reduce your household waste and bills.

Want to ditch the shovel and plant a garden? There's a surprising range of plants suited to clay soil, from groundcovers to feature trees. Many favourite native plants are ideal, they're naturally exposed to prolonged periods of rain followed by drought.

We're often asked how to manage clay soil, and which plants work best in it, so we've put together a handy guide to improving your soil and a list of plants best suited to clay. Plants struggle to thrive in clay soil, although if they do thrive, they find it's often high in nutrients. Here's our tips for how to make the most of clay soil.