An easy way to quickly add some life and colour to your garden is by introducing some hanging baskets. Ideal for hanging around the entrance to your home, there are so many beautiful flowers to choose from, coming in a huge variety of colours too. 

If you've not got the space to hang anything, then container plants are a great alternative. And if you're looking for a way to keep them looking beautiful, then a simple sponge is the solution. Laura Harnett, founder of eco cleaning brand, Seep, has hailed the benefits of this kitchen item when it comes to gardening. 

You don't even need to go out and buy new sponges to do this trick. Any old sponge you have in the kitchen will do, even if you were about to throw it away, but it's got to be an eco-friendly, natural one. 

Laura explained: "While tubs are refreshed from earlier spring plants, help to keep the new bedding stay hydrated by cutting up old eco sponges into small pieces and add into the compost. These will act, literally as, sponges and will help hold moisture in the soil."

She continued: "They will be great throughout summer and will help reduce the need for as much watering if away on holiday. They need to be eco sponges as the yellow and green ones are made from plastic and so will leach microplastics into the soil."

Not only do sponges help to retain moisture in your plants - they're also a really helpful tool when it comes to nutrients in the soil.

In a YouTube video shared by Fast and Simple, the expert hailed the benefits of placing sponges in your potted plants.

Cutting up a sponge, they explained: "Once we have all our sponge cut, we are going to start using it to benefit the soil of our pots and plants. And we are going to use the sponge to fill one of these pots.”

The cubes are then planted into the plant pots and gradually absorb nutrients and moisture, making the plant healthier and longer-living. 

The gardening expert said: “What happens is that they have already begun to absorb the nutrients from the soil itself and the moisture from the soil that I have added to the bucket.”