1. When planning a water feature try to take maintenance into consideration. If the prospect of cleaning out a bottomless pit turns you off then consider a small pebble fountain, which will still give the relaxing sound of cascading water.

2. Always consider adding or altering focal points in your garden. If a garden seems uninteresting - add! This could be anything from a sculpture or statue to a swing seat or gazebo.

3. When putting in a patio or deck always consider the position and light aspect. Don't just put a seating area by the house because that is the norm. There is no point having a seating area in your garden that will not be used to the max because it is in the dark for most of the day.

4. When planting trees in a garden think of the long-term effects, not only to you but your neighbours. Trees may look sweet and elegant in early years but they can turn into sunlight-blocking demons in years to come, and are often very costly to remove.

5. When constructing a deck consider the use of grooved or anti-slip decking, especially if you have young children or elderly residents.

6. When visiting a garden centre or nursery don't just consider shrubs or perennials, which are in colour at that time. Choose planting that flowers over the whole year at different periods. This will give you graduated colour over 12 months rather than a one month long explosion of colour.

7. Don't wait for pests or disease to take their tolls. Prevention is better than cure. Use insecticides and pesticides regularly and that plague of slugs, snails and insects will most likely be kept at bay. If the thought of using chemicals worries you there is an ever-growing availability of organic alternatives on the market.

8. If the annual cost of your bedding plants is high, think of using more permanent planting. The initial cost may be considerably more but the long-term bill will fall and this course of action will also reduce your workload and maintenance.

9. When choosing planting always consider their preferred living conditions vis-à-vis light and soil. Read the labels and consider whether they are shade-loving or not, and take into account soil preference - whether acidic or not. You can check the pH of your soil easily by obtaining a test kit at most horticultural retailers, but you can still plant acidic loving plants such as pieris or rhododendrons in a lime based soil. However you need to bed in with compost and feed with acidic fertiliser, or plant in containers.

10. You can use different coloured foliage as well as flowering planting to add colour to a garden. This creates a colour scheme throughout the year as opposed to a short flowering period.

Don't forget to watch Garden Rivals for more fantastic advice. And read all about Anne-Marie Powell and Handy Andy Kane.