Finally Spring is here, the time when the garden really awakens after the winter season! It’s the perfect time to get back into enjoying gardening! It is also the busiest time in the garden, so we have compiled some helpful hints and tips to help you create your very own Spring Garden, stress free!
Start Cleaning, Rebuilding and Repairing Your Garden
Start cleaning and repairing your lawn from the winter weather. Rake your lawn to get rid of dead growth of deciduous grasses, stray leaves, twigs and winter debris and let 
light and air to the soil level, encouraging the grass to grow. Repair and Re-seed bare or damaged patches of lawn. Rake up the soil first and then mix a shovel of soil with grass seed and spread in the patch you’re fixing. Rake level and keep well-watered until seeds germinate and the new grass establishes. However, its not just your lawn that needs tlc in your Spring Garden The cold weather, in our case this year it would be the rain and the flooding, over the winter may have badly damaged your plants. Replant and rebuild your plants as soon as you can.
If you have a badly placed deciduous shrub then now is the time to move it whilst it’s dormant. Choose a still day to prevent the roots drying out, When planting shrubs in their new position, place them at the same level they were previously in the soil, and remember to water them well afterwards.
Now is the time to clear up flower beds and borders. With a general tidy up, it is best to wait until early Spring to be wildlife friendly. If the soil is dry, you can dig a 5cm layer of organic matter such as well-rotted manure, compost or recycled green waste into empty garden borders.
With cleaning your garden, repair work may be needed and now is the
ideal time of the year to get those little odd jobs out of the way before the hard work for Spring comes along! Now is the time for you to fix that dent in the fence, or tweak that hinge on the garden gate. Any broken structures or tools are best fixed now so you have more time to spend in the garden during Spring and Summer.
Start Cleaning and Repairing Your Garden Tools
As well as your garden, give your garden tools a good clean and a sharpen, ready for the Spring time! Caring for your garden tools not only helps preserve them, it saves you money and helps prevent the spread of disease. Dirty secateurs may introduce bacteria and fungi to fresh pruning wounds. Sharpening your tools will also improve their performance; they’ll be easier to work with and will give cleaner pruning cuts.
Spring Clean Your Weeds and Grasses
Spring is the time where weeds start to grow vigorously early. Starting the weeding now means a lot less work for you later. Weeds are easier to pull out earlier while their roots are still shallow.
Grass growth is vigorous in your early spring garden, so edge your flower beds with a sharp trench between them and the grass to keep it in bounds. Repeat this job a couple of times throughout the season, or installing permanent edging goes a long way towards having a lower maintenance flower garden.
Plant new summer-flowering bulbs and seeds
Whatever the weather, this is great way to create your Spring Garden! Summer-flowering bulbs such as Lilies, Begonias and Gladiolus can be planted in early spring to create that colourful summer display.
Protect and Preserve Your Existing Plant Life
It’s good to bring out the old and bring in the new but in this case, don’t be hasty to remove winter mulch or to cut back evergreen plants such as lavender until the weather is reliably warm. If you have a rose garden, remove winter protection of mounded earth from roses. Prune rose bushes before they start to leaf out. It is acceptable to repair your garden flower beds but remember to resist the urge to start digging in your garden flower beds too early. For you can damage the soil’s structure. If you pick up your soil, it should fall apart. When it’s dry enough, then is the time to start digging your flower beds and adding compost or manure in preparation for planting.
Set Up A Compost Area In Your Garden
If you haven’t already then try setting up a compost area in your garden. This could simply be a ready-made compost bin or you could build a compost bin yourself using spare bits of wood. Not only will you have somewhere to put your garden waste but your plants will benefit from the rich compost created when it all breaks down! Make sure you have a good mixture of grass clippings and vegetable peelings.
Useful Links:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening
http://www.gardenwildlifehealth.org/
http://www.thegardencentregroup.co.uk/
http://www.flowersandplants.org.uk/
http://www.britishfloristassociation.org/
