Martha Stewart's top tips for a successful garden

1. Get to know your soil. It's worth getting a comprehensive soil analysis of every corner of your property as the soil environment can change drastically from one part of your garden to another. If you're thinking of moving it may be worth checking the soils of the property before you buy.
2. Use groundcover plants, shrubs and trees to form the back bone of your garden. Make your herbaceous borders small enough to maintain the space properly and help it sing.
3. Buy from as many nurseries as possible to get the widest range of interesting plants, and don't be tempted just to look at the pictures in the catalogue, be sure to read the catalogue descriptions as well.
4. Be curious and experiment. Although Martha has favourite roses and irises, she always orders new cultivars each year. Seek out the diversity that exists within each group of plants, whether that be bearded iris or maples.
5. Minimise the size of your lawn. Not only are lawns always high maintenance, but they are not great for the environment, their maintenance often requiring vast amounts of water, pesticides and herbicides.
6. Mulch, using whatever local source of mulch you have available. This will reduce both the amount of time you spend weeding and the amount of water you need to use to keep your plants healthy - all while enriching your soil.
7. If you make a mistake rectify it and carry on. Too many of us live with our bad decisions in the garden because they cost us money.
8. Cherish your garden and the land it encompasses and attempt to preserve it for the next generation of gardeners.

Martha Stewart's recommended US gardens to visit for plant inspiration