Cents & Nonsense: Dandelions pepper the front lawn, nettles are creeping in and moss coats the driveway. The silent battle between grass blade and yellow-crowned invader, assisted by regular rounds of weed and feed, begins again, writes Margaret E. Ward.

Gardening is new to this city girl but I'm trying to learn the basics by applying it to something more familiar - financial planning. The similarities are quite striking. Let me put down the keyboard, pull on the floral Wellington boots and I'll show you around the money garden.

First, the overview: let's walk around and look at it from all angles.

There is certainly a great deal happening here but are you happy with it? How do you want to use it? Are there obvious holes in the planting that need to be filled in or areas that are overgrown?

You should regularly ask yourself the same questions about your money. This creates a snapshot of your overall investment, savings, debt and insurance strategy.

Now, let's pick up a trowel and dig into the soil. The soil's quality determines what will grow well. So what does it look like this year? Does the bed need to be picked over for stones, broken up or fed? A financial soil sample reveals the economic landscape - interest rates, currency rates and inflation. Adjustments to your money plan should be based on what grows well in this environment.

Gardens need year-round interest so the choice of individual plants is important. Do you have colour throughout the seasons? Does the garden include a nice variety of flowers, plants, trees, shrubs and perhaps herbs and vegetables?

Just like a garden, if you want to ensure that your money is always growing, you need a good mix of stocks, bonds, cash and property.

Second, the dirty work begins. Put on your gloves, sun block and designer sunglasses, then grab that shovel and spade. Let's weed and feed the finances.

Weeds are the bad guys. Sometimes it can be hard to spot them because they may look like other plants. If they're not monitored regularly they'll quickly take root, do serious damage to your plants and even break up paths.

High interest rates and excessive charges are the creeping buttercup of the financial world. They can sneak up you and destroy all your hard work.

To avoid the cash drain, get rid of credit and store card balances and take a look at every single charge.

Contact your bank, stockbroker, pension fund and phone, mobile and internet providers to see if these costs can be reduced.

Pests can be a big problem. Every time the garden starts to look rosy, a closer peek reveals that greenfly, aphids or slugs have taken a bite out of your precious plants.

Inflation also likes nibbling at your euro every chance it gets. The inflation figure tells you how much your money is really worth.

If inflation is running at 4 per cent and you are getting 1 per cent on your cash deposits, then are you are actually losing 3 per cent by leaving it sitting around. Pick it up and move it to a place where the interest rate sun shines a bit brighter.

Now that the weeding is done we need to feed and water the plants that remain. A good coating of organic fertiliser, such as manure or seaweed, will enrich the soil and encourage earthworms to turn the soil for us. The bees are already hard at work pollinating our flowering plants.

Money grows best when it is fed a balanced diet of income and growth. Regular interest payments from cash and dividends are the income honeybees. They pollinate your cash and help it grow. Growth from stocks and property is more sporadic and depends on economic conditions. Just like the weather, it is not guaranteed.

Have we talked about drought yet? Although we have not had some for a little while, it is always a possibility. Let's place a big barrel under the gutters to catch the rainwater. Money can evaporate if you don't keep an eye on it.

We have left as little to chance as possible and now we can sit back and enjoy our harvest - flowers, vegetables, herbs and a lovely peaceful haven. If you plan well, your money garden will take care of itself.

So, how does your garden grow?

Margaret E. Ward is a journalist specialising in personal finance and consumer issues. cents@clearink.ie