Guest Article by Amy Fowler
Given the current, erratic, weather conditions, it may be difficult to believe that summer is on the way, but it is! If you want to make sure that your garden is bright, healthy, and tidy in time for summer sunbathing and barbecues, then it’s a good idea to start work now.
Take a look at this summer preparation checklist to make sure your garden preparations on track:
- Now that the weather is improving, take a look at your gates, entrances, and fences. It’s common for litter to get caught under fences during the winter, so spend some time sweeping up and gathering litter.
- Paint and weather treat fences, gates, and any outdoor furniture that needs spruced up.
- Prune any large plants and trees that need tamed. If you have any newly planted trees, don’t overlook these.
- Early removal of overcrowded branches can ensure that the tree grows well during this crucial stage.
- Mow your lawn, and tidy up the fringes in preparation for planting decorative borders. When you’re weeding, be sure to get the roots of any weeds you find, to ensure that they don’t just grow back.
- Treat your border areas with a generous helping of compost.
- There are several flowers that are best planted during the spring period. Check your favourite flowers and put together a planting schedule so that you don’t miss the best planting periods.
- Clean out your garden shed if didn’t do so over the winter. Dispose of damaged equipment, and make sure that everything is stowed away neatly and safely. Not only will this ensure that you don’t hurt yourself hunting for items in the shed, it will also make it easier to put things away, protecting you from casual thieves that may otherwise be tempted to run off with your lawn mower.
- Make a shopping list of important items (seeds, fertilizer, compost, tools, spare lawnmower blades, etc), and pick up those items next time you’re passing by a garden centre. You may be able to get some early sale deals.
- This spring is proving unusually dry, so pay extra attention to watering your plants. If you live in an area with hosepipe bans, be sure to take a watering can to your newly planted flowers. Try not to let them dry out.
- If you do get some rain, put some mulch on the wet soil – don’t go too heavy, about 5cm worth is ideal. This will cool the soil and encourage worm activity.
This time of year involves a fair bit of hard work, but it’s best to sort out compost, weather proofing, and painting while it’s still nice and cool. That way, when the good weather does hit, you’ll be able to relax in the knowledge that you’ve already done all of the heavy lifting, and your garden is now ready for some light weeding and planting, along with the best part – sunbathing on your perfectly manicured lawn, and enjoying looking at the beautiful landscaping that you worked so hard to create.
