Gardens can be uncontrollable if incorrectly maintained

Personal Training Sessions. This is for the beginner who wants to get the best from their garden. You will work with your own personal garden trainer who will have a detailed knowledge of all aspects of horticulture. Your trainer can take you through structured sessions designed to teach you all you need to know or a programme can be tailored to fit your needs.

- plant selection. The biggest problems in a garden are caused by planting the wrong plant in the wrong place. This can lead to poor plants and even death making it a costly error. Worse is the plant which infests the garden and becomes a weed or the one which grows as high as the house and just as wide.

- pruning. A critical aspect of gardening and much neglected. Good pruning generates more colour, healthier and tidier plants. Bad, or no pruning can lead to poor plants and often death.

- weeds. Identification and treatment.

- lawns. Selection, treatment and care. It can be very difficult to create the perfect lawn from an existing one but if the garden owner understands the processes and principles of lawn culture their life can be made easier.

- soil. This is the foundation of the garden and needs to be the best it can be. Types of soil, soil improvement, additives, digging and soil preparation needs to be understood. If the soil is good the plants will thrive, if bad they will suffer and become more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Once the basics have been covered then your trainer will move into more specialist areas like fruit and vegetables, pests and diseases, greenhouse culture, propagation, water gardening, compost, garden design and construction. At this point he may bring in others with a better knowledge of the sunject but your trainer will continue to assist.

knowledge of how a lawn works will enable you to maintain it more effectively

Prices: £40 an hour. Daily rate: £250 (£125 half-day)

Call us on 01234 269169 or 07950 923051. Alternatively, you can let us know your requirements in the box below or email us at graham@grahamapavey.co.uk