Spring has definitely sprung! The daffodils are out, the days are getting longer, the smell of blossom lingers in the air, and the first bumblebees are lumbering around the garden. That means it’s time to get stuck into the seed-sowing, seed-growing, seed-nurturing frenzy – as your garden comes to life.
Below, we’ve pulled together some tips that’ll help keep your garden in order this spring…
1.) Get Summer-Flowering Bulbs and Seeds Ahead of Time
Purchase summer-flowering bulbs such as Lilies, Gladiolus and Ranunculus – all of which can be planted in early spring. They make for a truly vibrant, summery display.
2.) Tidy Flower Beds and Borders
Clear up the leaves and other odds and ends from your flower borders, grasses and ponds. It’s alswo a good idea to cut down the old, dead growth of deciduous grasses and herbaceous perennials now. If the soil’s decent, you can dig a 5cm layer of organic material, like decayed manure, compost or recycled green waste into empty garden borders.
3.) Get Your Greenhouse Shipshape
Give your greenhouse a good scrub in time for spring. Shortly, your greenhouse will accommodate seedling and cuttings trays, so it’s time to brush away any plant remains scattered on the floor and benches, and disinfect with Jeyes Fluid. Don‘t forget to sterilise the inside of the glass as well, as hibernating insects and bugs can live in just about every nook and cranny. While you’re in ‘cleaning mode’, sponge down seed trays and pots to help ward off bugs like ‘damping off’ which can contaminate your young plants. Be sure to air out your greenhouse properly over the next few days so it dries out.
4.) Catch Garden Pests Pronto
Tracking down and getting rid of overwintering pests now can help avoid a lot of bother when spring and summer roll around. Closely inspect the likes of perennial plants – you’ll no doubt find slugs, snails and aphid colonies protecting themselves in the winter months. Make sure you clear last year’s pots of summer bedding and keep your eyes peeled for white vine weevil
larvae (they tend to live in the compost and survive on plant roots). Dispose of any you discover and be ready to deal with vine weevils via parasitic nematodes or chemical drenches.
5.) Spruce Up Your Garden Tools
Preserve gardening tools by giving them a good clean and sharpen. Not only will you save money by doing this, you’ll prevent the spread of disease. Mucky secateurs may encourage germs and fungi to fresh pruning cuts whilst sharpening tools will enhance their functionality. You’ll have easy-to-work-with tools in no time.
6.) Repair Gates, Trellis and Fences
Before spring is in full swing, now’s the perfect time to get those annoying little jobs out the way. Fix that broken fence, mend the gate that’s about to fall off its hinges and repair the about-to-topple-over trellis. It’s best to renovate wooden garden structures now so you can enjoy the spring and summer months to the max.
7.) Fit Water Butts
Rig up water butts in your garden right away so seasonal rainfall is collected. What’s more, this helps the environment, and rain water’s also great for watering ericaceous plants like Rhododendrons, Camellias and Blueberries. Tap water, on the other hand, is usually a little alkaline. Be sure you position it below a downpipe to benefit from the rainfall.
