Spring is in the air and before you know it your garden will be coming back to life. Follow our top tips to get your outdoor space in ship shape, ready for the growing season ahead.
Take care of maintenance and repairs
Now is the time to deal with hard landscaping, painting, repairs, and any other work on the garden. Getting fence repairs, powerwashing, and other tasks out of the way now will prevent this work from interfering with the plants when they are growing.
Give the hard landscaped areas a good clean, carry out any painting or repairs, and clean your greenhouse in preparation for the season ahead. Give all your garden tools a good clean too — this is particularly important after they have sat in the shed unused for months, as any fungus or insect eggs will be transferred into your garden if they are not removed by cleaning.
Get your lawnmower serviced
It's been sitting in the shed for months, so before you take your lawnmower on its first spring run make sure it's in proper working order. At the very least, give your machine a good clean and sharpen the blades before using it again. Better yet, take it to a professional for a full service.
Transplant shrubs
If you have any shrubs that you want to relocate in the garden, now is the time to do it. Transplanting now will mean the plant is ready to take advantage of the full growing season to settle in.
Make sure you dig up as much of the root ball as possible to give the shrub the best chance to thrive in its new position. Water before and after transplanting to keep the roots moist, and add a layer of mulch to help retain this moisture while the plant adjusts to its new home.
Get beds and borders ready for spring planting
Clean up your beds and borders, getting rid of any fallen leaves or other debris left over from the autumn and winter. Now is also the time to add compost to the soil, so it will be full of nutrients for new plants.
If the soil is dry enough you can also start digging to prepare the beds for spring planting; however don't attempt this with wet, heavy soil as it will compact the clay and make planting even harder. To test if your soil is ready, pick up a handful and check that it crumbles apart when you squeeze it into a ball.
Check out the home and garden section of Advertiser Classifieds for a list of service providers who can help you have your garden looking perfect for spring.
