Spring is certainly in the air and there are plenty of jobs that are well worth taking care of now and over the next few weeks before our gardens suddenly swing right into action! Get organised now and by the time summer arrives you will have the perfect environment to enjoy.
HAVE A GENERAL TIDY UP
This time of year is the perfect time to give the garden a spring clean. Tidy up all of the fallen leaves and plant debris from your beds, containers and pathways, not forgetting to trim all of the dead growth on your perennials and shrubs right back.
If you have a pond in your garden, now is the time to give that a spring clean too. Be sure to compost all of your garden waste as it will provide you with nutrient rich goodness for your plants later on.
COMPOST!
If you don’t already have a composting bin, or area, why not set something up? It needn’t be anything complicated or expensive. You can purchase relatively inexpensive compost bins, but you could build something very simple using old pieces of wood or pallets for next to nothing.
In addition to your garden waste you can use it compost suitable food waste including teabags, coffee grounds and eggshells. It is well worth the effort for the wonderful rich compost you will create, just remember to turn it with a fork and aerate it monthly to help it break down.
GIVE YOUR TOOLS A LITTLE TLC
Repair, sharpen and wash your tools to improve their performance and extend their lifespan.
INSTALL A WATER BUTT
Some plants like Blueberries and Camellias do not fare quite so well when watered with tap water, preferring rain water instead. It is so easy to install a water butt to collect rainwater, not to mention environmentally friendly, in fact if you have the space why not install more than one?
SHOP FOR BULBS
A lovely job for a wet day or a day when you are not feeling particularly energetic! Choose some stunning bulbs to plant at the start of spring to provide your garden with some vibrant colour over the summer months.
If you haven't got the time to nip down to your local garden centre to have a look for some new plants, trees, tools or whatever else it is you need then you can always have a look online too with websites like Evergreen Hedging selling everything you could possibly want.
NEED TO REPOSITION ANY SHRUBS?
Sometimes you will notice that a plant from the previous season is struggling, usually due to its position, or the soil type. Now is a great time to give it a new lease of life by repositioning it somewhere else.
Try to dig it up without damaging the main ball of roots, keep the roots moist and get them back into the ground as quickly as possible. Make sure you water the plants well to help them to re-establish themselves as quickly as possible in their new location.
DO YOU HAVE A GREENHOUSE?
If so, don’t forget to give it a spring clean too, as this will prevent any lingering pests or diseases from camping out and making themselves unwelcome when you begin to sow this year’s seeds. Give everything a good clean and air it all out to dry.
THOSE NIGGLY REPAIR JOBS...
At this time of year there are invariably a few repair jobs to take care of due to the wind and frost over the winter months. Get those jobs out of the way now so that you can make the most of your garden as the weather warms up and spend your time doing more enjoyable things!