Growing
a Garden
To many, the garden represents an almost sacred sanctuary; a designated place where you instantly feel grounded and reconnect with nature, making you forget about the stressors of everyday life.
As we carefully plant seeds in pots and flower beds, faithfully and patiently watering and nurturing with the hope that our efforts will result in fresh green sprouts emerging from the soil, we are reminded of the beauty that lies in the simple.
A fulfilling avocation that never gets old, gardening is as much about the process as the final result. While the winter and autumn seasons largely revolve around creating new ideas and creating the necessary plans for growing your garden, the summer and spring months present a dynamic time for first sowing and fertilising, and, with time, enjoying and harvesting the myriad of colourful flowers, lush green plants and vegetables, fruits and berries that have grown from your efforts. In other words, gardening is all about nurturing and tending to something that rewards you in various ways throughout the different seasons.
We consulted garden experts Dorthe Kvist and Jeanette Lindholdt Madsen to get their top tips for cultivating the ideal garden during every month of the year.
The Experts’ Garden Calendar
WINTER
DECEMBER
Your garden is sleeping.
If you’re lucky, it will look lovely in the freshly fallen snow.
JANUARY
The year is just beginning and we are gradually starting
to make plans for how we want the garden to be.
Spend time reading seed catalogues
and planning your new garden projects.
FEBRUARY
This is when many garden enthusiasts become
impatient. It’s too cold to do anything outside, but if
by the end of February you’re itching to get started,
you can begin by germinating seeds indoors in mini greenhouses.
SPRING
MARCH
March is always the time for cleaning up. Rake the lawn,
sweep the leaves and add them to the compost heap,
scrub the terrace and oil the garden furniture.
APRIL
In April, start filling your pots with spring flowers,
get the kitchen garden ready for sowing, put the chitted
potatoes in the ground and just enjoy the lovely spring
sunshine as much as possible.
MAY
May is when everything starts to sprout.
Plant your tomatoes, chillies and cucumbers out in the greenhouse,
and your lettuce and peas in the kitchen garden.
Cover the soil under the strawberry plants with straw.
Now’s the time to enjoy
SUMMER
JUNE
In June, you can finally start harvesting the first crops.
Enjoy fresh baby salad leaves, early peas,
as well as the first beans and types of squash.
JULY
July is the month when the garden is a pure cornucopia
of treasures. Remember to water in the evening and
control the snails now that you’re up and running.
You can pick the first flower bouquets and go on a daily
rampage in the kitchen garden. Remember to ventilate
the greenhouse when you visit, and finally – take plenty
of breaks and enjoy your beautiful lush garden.
AUGUST
The month when you can give all your friends
sumptuous bouquets of dahlias and fragrant roses.
Practical jobs such as sowing green manure in the
empty kitchen garden beds and removing offshoots
from the strawberry plants should be carried out now.
And don’t forget to put water out for the birds and the thirsty insects!
AUTUMN
SEPTEMBER
September is an important month for next spring’s
flowers. Plant plenty of bulbs, e.g. tulips, daffodils
and pearl hyacinths. This month is also a good time to
plant larger things such as trees, flowering shrubs and
perennials.
OCTOBER
You can enjoy some really precious moments in the
garden in autumn. Cook over a campfire and enjoy the
last warm rays of sun under a blanket with a hot cup
of tea. In October, you can gradually pack away the
garden, divide your perennials, collect seeds from your
favourite plants, prune the fruit trees and harvest the
last of the herbs.
NOVEMBER
In November, remove the saucers from under pots
so that they don’t get damaged by the frost.
Empty the water butt if you have one and store the garden
furniture away or cover it. Then you can look forward
to starting all over again in the spring.
