It’s one thing running a garden on well-aerated (but never dusty), easily compacted (but not too heavy) soil.

But it’s rare that the stars perfectly align; the UK’s soil, which is increasingly degrading, may run a little too chalky or clay-heavy in your backyard.

Here, we’ll share the types of soil in the UK and the best plants for each of them.

The main types of soil in the UK are:

• Chalky,
• Clay,
• Loamy,
• Peaty,
• Sandy,
• Silty.

The type of soil is determined by its particle size. Clay particles are less than 0.002mm; silt is 0.002-0.05mm; sand is 0.05-2mm, and stones are larger than 2mm.

Most soil is a combination of different soil particles.

To count as a “clay” soil, the earth has to contain 25% or more clay particles. These are fertile, but drain slowly and can be compacted quite easily; they take a long time to warm up, and may “bake” in summer. They get sticky when wet.

Chalky soils tend to be stony as they often lie over a limestone bedrock. They usually drain quite freely and are typically alkaline. If your soil froths when you put it in a jar of vinegar, it’s probably high in chalk.

Sandy soils retain little moisture, which is great for draining after rain but a little tougher to work with during hot weather. They feel gritty to the touch.

Loamy soils are often considered “the perfect soil type” as they contain a mixture of clay, sand, and silt. That makes them easy to work with and able to hold on to water without running waterlogged. They’re usually high in nutrients.

Peaty soils can be acidic and hold a lot of water, though they’re also high in nutrients. They’re not usually found in gardens, though.

And silty soils, while easily compacted, usually drain well and are quite fertile. They typically have medium-sized particles, which help them to retain moisture. They rarely clump and feel a little slippery.

Soil-testing kits can help you work out the nutrient content of your soil.

• Roses
• Hydrangea
• Hardy geraniums
• Mahonia
• Foxglove
• Tomato
• Cabbage
• Squash
• Green beans
• Lettuce.

• Geranium
• Clematis
• Lavender
• Yarrow
• Rosemary
• Globe thistle
• Crab apple trees.

• Wisteria
• Geranium
• Day lily
• Dogwood
• Summer bulbs
• Roses
• Peony
• Tomato
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Strawberries.

• Rhododendrons
• Azaleas
• Heather
• Magnolias
• Brassicas
• Radishes
• Potatoes.

• Tulips
• Lavender
• Buddleja
• Hardy fuchsia
• Carrot
• Courgette
• Alliums
• Radishes.

• Willows
• Ferns
• Dogwoods
• Astilbe
• Cistus
• Lettuce
• Chard
• Green beans.

Wildflowers do exceptionally well on very new, thin soil, gardener and writer Arthur Parkinson previously told HuffPost UK.

“Perennial wildflowers like ox-eye daisy you can sow onto very poor soils, and they will establish well from being sown in the early autumn. Annual chamomile and cornfield poppies will thrive too if their seed is sown in spring,” he said.

There’s a lot to be said for No-Mow May and other initiatives that encourage gardeners to leave some, or all, of their lawns wild. That can help wildlife to flourish.

But to maintain a healthy lawn, sometimes, a haircut is necessary.

Here are 11 rules to help you do it perfectly:

Grass begins to grow at this temperature, so there’s no point cutting it when the weather’s any colder. Wait until it’s 7°C or warmer consistently to whip the strimmer out.

The grass isn’t growing at those temps, which usually begin in late October.

That can clog your mower, weaken your grass, and leave unsightly imprints.

Any shorter, and you risk “scorching” a new lawn.

Even if you have an established lawn, do your first mow of the year on your mower blade’s highest setting. If you cut the grass too short early on, you increase the risk of disease, dehydration, and bare patches.

Per the RHS, the following schedule works for these lawns in spring and autumn:

• Conventional lawn: Every 1-2 weeks,
• Wildflower lawns or flower-rich meadows: Leave to grow wild.

• Conventional lawn: Weekly, unless in drought; then, mow fortnightly or less,
• Wildflower lawns or flower-rich meadows: Every 4-6 weeks,
• Long-grass lawns: 1-2 times per summer.

It’s not usually necessary to cut lawns in winter.

Regardless of whether it’s your lawn’s first-ever cut or your third strim of the summer, don’t cut off more than a third of the grass’s height at once.

Even established lawns risk forming clumpy, unpleasant patches and becoming weaker if you cut off a high proportion of their height all at once.

Blunt mower blades and mower blades with lots of clogged-up grass in them can make mowing your lawn harder and less effective. Always ensure your mower is switched off before going anywhere near blades, and seek specialist help for cylinder mowers.

We mentioned No-Mow May before. It involves not cutting your lawn in the month and can boost wildlife, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing; a “low-mow May,” meaning you mow some parts of your garden but leave others wild, can help too.

Check for loose stones and hidden objects, like toys and bulbs, in the garden before mowing. Clear them along with any garden furniture before beginning the task.

If you change the direction you mow in about once a month, you’ll be able to cut any blades of grass you’d previously missed and can avoid unsightly wheel ruts.

Flies, moquitoes, and other slightly irritating little critters can make an evening rest in your back garden a little more stressful than it needs to be.

And while it can be tempting to spray your lawn and leaves, Helen Bostock, a senior wildlife specialist at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), previously told HuffPost UK it’s a good idea to skip those where possible.

Instead, she said, “A vibrant garden ecosystem is one that requires [fewer] inputs from gardeners – when natural predators are keeping the aphids in check, [fewer] sprays are needed”.

And sometimes, plants alone can help – ones like petunia.

Sometimes described as “nature’s pesticide,” the flower helps to repel, or redirect:

• aphids,
• mosquitoes,
• tomato wormhorns,
• asparagus beetles,
• leafhoppers,
• squash bugs.

Luckily, though, they’re still friendly to bees.

Some bugs don’t like the plant because of its smell, which, to most humans, is divine; petunias have a sweet, honey-like scent that some compare to vanilla.

Others, like aphids, adore the aroma, which sounds like a bad thing but actually keeps them from eating your veggies instead.

They release their strongest scents in the evenings, when they want to attract pollinators (including the hawk moth Bostock told us can help your garden thrive).

They do this when flies, including the ones they want to attract, are most active.

That means that they’ll smell the nicest, and repel the most petunia-hating bugs (including mosquitoes), on glorious summer evenings.

They need to be placed in the sun, with a little shelter from the wind. If you’re in an area with milder weather, you’ll get away with putting them in partial shade.

They do well in hanging baskets, raised pots, window boxes, raised beds, and borders. You can also plant upright petunias in the ground.

Sow them in spring under cover. Place them on top of soil in a tray if you’re sowing them from seed, and keep them at 18-24ºC until they’ve got two true leaves, BBC Gardener’s World said.

Then, get them used to being outside – “hardening” – for a week or two before planting them in rich soil.

Water regularly, especially if they’re in pots, and apply fertilisers high in potash every two weeks or so once established. Deadhead as needed.

We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI – prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

If there’s one thing you come to appreciate when you live with kids, it’s a good stain remover – whether it’s a laundry-related product (Napisan and Shout spray are my go-tos) or more of a carpet-based solution (of which I’ve tried a fair few over the years with varying results).

So, I was extremely intrigued by Shark’s StainForce Cordless Spot Cleaner which teams a stainer remover spray – which seems to do a lot of the heavy lifting, to be fair – with a powerful suction tool.

I’d seen a couple of videos on social media where people had spilled red wine on their rugs and then used the device, and it had miraculously cleaned stains without leaving so much as a trace.

It left me thinking surely, surely, there’s some trick of the light going on there and they’d be left with a faint stain?! But I’m happy to say I was wrong.

In a weird twist of fate, the Shark StainForce arrived a few days before my four-year-old accidentally dropped curry on our pale (and very new) living room carpet, leaving a lovely bright orange splat mark on the floor.

As our table is near the window (and away from the main foot traffic in and out of the room), I hadn’t realised the stain was there until the next day, by which time it had thoroughly dried, much to my horror.

Armed with the StainForce and accompanying spray, I took a deep breath and started to work at the dried turmeric-filled blotch with the tool’s bristle brush.

I then sprayed the stain thoroughly, left it for a few minutes, and returned, switching the StainForce tool on and brushing back and forth on the carpet while it sucked up the remainder of the mess.

The orange mark, to my astonishment, vanished.

Obviously after this success I then had to put it to the test on the mother of all stains in another room.

We live in an old house that’s slowly but surely being renovated and one of the ‘untouched’ rooms is still home to carpet from the previous owner – who had lived there for almost a century.

There were black marks on said carpet, which looked like they’d been there decades, so I decided to see if the stain-busting tool would work on them, too.

I wasn’t expecting much to happen, if I’m honest, as the stains were extremely bedded in. But actually, after using the spray and with a bit of scrubbing effort on my part, the marks began to disappear.

The tool is designed for use on carpets, area rugs, stairs, upholstery, and car interiors – but not wool. It’s also worth patch-testing the spray on a hidden bit of carpet or upholstery before you go all in.

The device is really easy to put together and use (the video instructions are super simple), and it’s all handily stored in a caddy so you can carry it from room to room.

Reviewers particularly like using it for cleaning up pet accidents (we have two cats so I’ve already deployed it on cat sick, which it cleaned up effortlessly), as well as food and drink stains.

I’d say the main downside is the cost: it’s an investment at £169.99, but for the peace of mind it offers when a cat or child decides to vom, poo, wee or spill food on your new (or spenny) carpets, it’s worth the money.

Similarly if you’re in rented accommodation and have spills and stains to get up in order to get your hefty deposit back, this spot cleaner is worth a shout.

Something unexpected – but welcome – has happened in the past couple of days: the sun has stayed out after I finished work, and I’ve spotted some emerging daffodils in the park.

That can only mean one thing. Gardeners, it’s almost time to get busy again. Woodland Trust says that mowing is usually needed between March and October.

And according to Black + Decker, who analysed weather data from the Met Office, there’s a specific date we should begin revving our mower engines: 13 March.

Here’s why the date matters, and how to achieve the perfect first mow.

Grass only begins to grow at temperatures above 7°C, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said.

These conditions are likeliest to stay consistent after the 13 March date.

However, Nick Ee, a product training manager at Black + Decker, said: “I’d urge everyone to keep checking their local forecasts beforehand as we know how quickly the weather can change.

“It’s also important to consider other elements such as rain, frost and wind as these conditions will have an impact on the task at hand and Britain is no stranger to an ice blast or two in spring.”

The RHS says that you should start your first mow on the highest blade setting.

Cutting your grass too short, especially after a period of dormancy, can lead to “scalping,” which can cause disease and weed infestation.

You should also only complete your first mow when it’s dry.

Avoid mowing over emerging bulbs, like daffodils, and don’t walk on a frosty lawn, because this can break tender new grass.

The grass on new lawns should reach at least 5cm high before you mow it, too.

Ensure your mower has clean, sharp blades, and clean it well after use.

Do you remember the great slug influx of 2024? In the words of the iconic Gemma Collins: “It’s hell in there, it’s horror. You have to be a certain type of person to survive.” It was gruesome. I stepped on a slug IN MY HOME in my BARE FEET.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) shares on their website: “Mild, wet weather across the winter, spring and summer resulted in the highest number of calls to the RHS advisory service since records began in the 70s.

“13% of all enquiries to the entomology team related to slugs and snails. This is thought to be as a result of slugs being active earlier, increased breeding and more persistent activity with the absence of any prolonged warm, dry spells forcing them back underground.”

I’ll tell you something, none of my plants survived that summer.

Writing for The Conversation, Christopher Terrell Nield, a Lecturer in Chemistry and Forensic Science at Nottingham Trent University advises: “Although flooding can kill overwintering eggs and adults, a mild wet winter will have reduced slug mortality. It may also affect slug predators… Flooding also creates lots of ready food for slugs from plants that have died in the water, a potential slug fest as it dries in spring.

“With a global temperature above 1.4°C, compared to pre-industrial levels, the Met Office predicts a warm 2026. In addition, the UK government’s Environment Agency predicted a drought in 2026, before the winter’s heavy rainfall.”

He shares that, thankfully, our upcoming conditions point towards increased slug populations but probably not as bad as 2024.

Was anything as bad as that?

The RHS has a guide to preventing slugs with some of the tips including:

• Choose plants that are less palatable to slugs and snails, such as woody plants, those with thick or waxy leaves and some herbaceous plants known to be less appealing to them
• Torchlight searches can be carried out on mild evenings, especially when the weather is damp, hand-picking slugs and snails into a container. They can then be placed in another part of your garden, such as the compost
  heap or areas with less vulnerable plants, or left out for predators to take
• Water in the early morning rather than the evening as evening watering provide ideal conditions for them to move around at night

Good luck and happy gardening this year!

My dog Chase is the prince of our home, and he knows it.

He’s a 25-kilo staffy who’s convinced he’s a lap dog (and who are we to say otherwise?). His favourite place in the entire world is our sofa.

I wouldn’t have it any other way, but there is one teeny tiny issue: Chase is scared of baths.

In fact, he detests water in nearly all its forms, from puddles to rain to getting splashed when he drinks from his water bowl (now he drinks from a ridiculous little ramekin to control said issue).

This is all to say that, while he’s far from the world’s smelliest dog, he’s definitely not the freshest either.

And his musk has turned our lovely velvet sofa into the stinkiest thing in our home by a country mile. After all, you can put lots of dog beds (ours included) in the wash. You can’t run a sofa on a spin cycle.

We’ve tried loads of things, from enzyme cleaners to old-fashioned soap and water, and nothing seemed to make a proper, lasting dent in the scent.

That was until I tried Skout’s Honor Odor Eliminator Spray. At just £10, it’s far and away the best pet odour-busting product I’ve tried.

The spray works by destroying odour molecules on contact, and even works on airborne smells.

It gets rid of his musk instantly and its effects linger too, which means it keeps up with the fact that Chase spends about 85% of his life on the sofa.

The odour eliminator leaves behind a vaguely medical-smelling scent, but it’s more than worth it to get rid of the stink my lovely pup emits.

It’s also worked a treat on our rug, which is where Chasey brings all his food and chew toys to destroy – and therefore soaks up a hefty amount of stink in its own right.

From the car to your bins, you can pretty much use this £10 spray wherever you find a smell you don’t care for. Just be careful using it on silk, leather, wool, and natural wood surfaces, since it can be too harsh for them.

It’s so easy to use – you just need to spray it liberally onto the offending surface, wipe off any residue, and mist the air around the smell for good measure.

And with that, even the stink of a smelly staffy who’s barely glanced at soap for months is gone!

For years now, UK gardeners have been discouraged from using slug pellets, which can harm wildlife, in their gardens.

After all, only about nine of the 44 species in the UK actually eat your veggies. And their presence in your backyard is key to feeding our dwindling bird population, too.

Still, there’s no denying that the clash between gardeners and munching molluscs continues. Some green-fingered gurus have previously recommended using garlic or tinfoil to help you stand your (literal) ground in these backyard battles; even a melon could help.

And it turns out that when you water your garden matters, too.

According to Gardener’s World, watering your garden in the morning helps to block slugs’ path at night (when slugs tend to eat their dinner).

“This ensures that the soil has dried out by the evening, when slugs are most active. Wet soil at night can create a slug highway between plants,” the publication shared.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) agrees.

“There has been a study that showed that switching from watering in the evening to watering in the morning can provide as much protection as slug pellets,” their site reads.

Indeed, research published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment found that slug leaf consumption over the course of their study was 60% in untreated areas, and shrunk to 12% in both patches watered in the morning and those covered in metaldehyde pellets.

“Morning irrigation thus gave a level of protection against slug damage as good as metaldehyde pellets combined with evening irrigation,” the paper said.

Metaldehyde pellets have been banned in the UK since 2022 because of the threat they pose to wildlife. Most modern pellets rely on lower-toxicity ferric phosphate instead, which kills slugs through iron poisoning, but the RHS maintains that keeping slugs alive when you can is best for your garden overall.

The RHS said that this works because “if you water in the evening, when the majority of slugs are most active, you’ve created a nice wet film that they can happily travel over.”

Water applied in the morning, meanwhile, is mostly gone by nighttime.

According to the RHS, encouraging biodiversity in your garden can aid natural slug control. You can also conduct torchlit searches at night to find and manually remove any offending critters.

Some woody, waxy, and generally tough-to-chew plants will repel them, too.

But while the jury’s out on eggshells, copper tape, and pine bark, there does seem to be some data backing a simple morning watering sesh.