Outdoor Jobs for the Spring

As the days are getting longer and warmer, now is the time to start preparing for the new growing season.  Here’s our top tips to help you get your garden in shape.

Tidy and prune. Clear winter debris, deadhead and cut back any dead or diseased foliage.  Prune roses, hydrangeas and remove seed heads from daffodils leaving their foliage to die back before removing.

Weed and feed. Tidy up borders – weeds will be young and the ground still soft enough for easy removal.  Feed Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camelias and Pieris.

Mulch. Cover borders with a generous amount of compost and a good layer of bark to slow the weeds down a little.

Check for pests and remove in their early stages before they fully take hold.

Start sowing non-hardy vegetables and herbs indoors.  Once the nights are frost-free, they can go out into the garden.  Hardy veg such as carrots, onions, parsnips, broad beans and spinach can go straight out as long as the earth isn’t too wet or frosty.

Bedding plants can be grown from seed or plugs.  Bulbs can be planted in pots of rich compost for a beautiful summer display.  Take cuttings to root in pots indoors. Our Potting Table will be the perfect place to start your Spring potting.

Divide and replant summer perennials to refresh, rejuvenate and promote flowering.

Cut and edge lawn.  Start with a high cutting blade and mow every couple of weeks until May, weekly after that.

Give the patio and furniture a wash.

Finally clean or replace bird feeders.

Now sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.  Your garden will keep you busy throughout the summer, but those lazy, hazy days when you can relax with a cuppa or a glass will make it all worthwhile.