You’ve probably not had much work to do on your garden over the winter. Everything slows down, or stops altogether, leaving the garden more or less dormant for a few months. That all changes again when spring comes, though, as everything starts growing again. Spring is an important time for any garden, so it is best to be as prepared for it as possible. Here’s some tips on getting your garden ready when spring finally arrives.
Fertilise Lawns and Flower Beds
Spring is a time of growth. This growth requires nutrition, though, and this means helping to ensure your plants and lawns are well fertilised. There are different types of fertilizer available for different needs, so make sure you get what need. Make sure that you fertilise before growth begins to help make sure your garden gets as early a start as possible.
Renew Mulches
Fresh, quality mulches can make a big difference to your garden. They can help retain moisture, protect the soil beneath and also add nutrients. Once the winter is over, any old mulches should be removed and replaced with a fresh batch. This also gives you an opportunity to clear up any weeds that might have been able to take hold.
Plant Seeds
If you have plans for planting new plants in your garden, spring is the time to do it. This helps to make sure they get enough time to grow to be big and strong, ensuring their long-term health. Make sure you plant good and early, but not so early that the seeds or seedlings can be damaged by cold weather.
Repotting
As a plant grows above ground, it also grows below ground. Its root systems stretch out to get what they can from the soil below. Potted plants, however, are limited in how far they can stretch their roots and they can become root bound. Placing potted plants into larger pots will give more room in which the roots can grow, helping the plant to grow above ground also. This will also free up the smaller pots in which you can plant new seedlings.
Deal with Pests
As your plants begin to come back to life, so do the animals that make a home in your garden. Pests such as snails, slugs and aphids can cause incredible damage to your garden if left unchecked. There are various products available on the market that can help to at least control them. Some time and physical effort in removing them will also help to limit their numbers and therefore protect your garden.
Get Pruning
During spring, you want to see lots of new growth. This can mean getting rid of the old to make way for the new. Any flowers that have arrived already should be dead-headed once they begin to fade. This is something you should continue working on all throughout the summer as well, for further details on pruning go here.
Get Dividing
Herbaceous plants that are close together can begin competing with each other for resources. They will need to be separated from each other so they all have plenty of room to grow in, helping to keep them strong and healthy. This should be done early in spring to give them plenty of opportunity to make the most of the change in weather.