Tasks to tackle in the garden this spring

As the days get longer and blue skies become increasingly common, it’s certainly starting to feel like Spring.

If you’re anything like us, you’ll be itching to get out into your gardens and allotments so this month we’re bringing you our top tips to ‘wake up' your garden through essential maintenance tasks and savvy planting options.

Follow our garden checklist to help your garden bloom this spring:

The first job to help get your garden looking shipshape this Spring is to get out and get tidying! Gather debris such as fallen rotting leaves, prune plants and shrubs such as rose bushes, and cut back any dead stems, foliage and flower heads left for protection during frosty weather.

It’s also time to start dusting off the lawn mower and tending to your grass, once a few dry days have passed. Whilst you’re at it, why not look at some essential tool maintenance too by cleaning and oiling where needed.

In March it’s time to get your borders, beds, greenhouses and allotments in order. It’s your last chance to plant out bare-rooted fruit trees, and the ideal time of year to plant our onions and garlic and chit potatoes. For those with greenhouses and polytunnels, March is a great month for sowing peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, but if you’re thinking of sowing seeds outdoors focus on hardier plants such as lettuces, radish and leeks – just be guided by the weather and ensure outdoor conditions are suitably mild.

To make sure your garden has colour throughout the year, plant our summer-flowering bulbs such as lilies and plant out hardier flowers such as Bellis and pansies.

It’s vital to give your plants a great start to the season by ensuring each gets the nutrients it needs to bloom this spring and summer. Mulch your borders and ensure plants such as roses and other shrubs are fertilised as necessary – and always using natural and organic fertilizer where possible! It’s also key to make sure your plants aren’t fighting for food or water, so ensure your borders are thoroughly weeded.

There might still be a few chilly morning’s ahead, but now is the time to start preparing your garden for warmer weather. It’s time to clear out water butts ready to collect rainwater, and why not consider installing a new Irrigatia system to save you valuable time when it comes to watering in the warmer days during spring and summer? Our C12 and C24 L Series systems are ideal for smaller beds and groups of pots, whilst our Tank Series can serve much larger garden areas and allotments.

Finally, watch out for pesky slugs and snails which will likely be making an appearance as the weather warms up a little – you don’t want to undo all of your hard work preparing the garden or allotment for spring! Consider natural methods such as beer traps to attract and trap the creatures, barrier methods such as gravel or eggshells, parasitic nematodes and even lining your beds with rough materials to make it much harder for snails and slugs to get to your plants.