Spring Clean Your Garden!

With the flowers blooming and new leaves appearing on the trees, April is a time when most of us like to have a bit of a tidy-up and revitalise the garden for summertime. Whether you’re preparing for the growing season, or simply wanting to improve the look of your garden, we have some great ideas to give your green space a good spring clean.

Throw out the old plants:
Start by removing dead annuals or plants showing any sign of disease, and pull up invading weeds - but don’t add them to your compost bin. Any bulbs which have finished flowering will need deadheading, but don’t remove the leaves as they will provide the energy for next year’s growth. Some shrubby plants with woody stems, such as buddleia and lavender, will need to be pruned in order for new blooms to appear on the freshly-cut branches.

Clean your decking:
Barbeque season is just around the corner and if you are doing a bit of entertaining, you’ll want your decking to scrub up well. Start by picking a dry day and go over the wood with a stiff broom or multi-purpose pressure washer. Now that the deck is free from any clutter and dirt you can focus on cleaning the wood using a dedicated product, finishing with a good rinse to remove all traces of the chemicals. Allow the deck to dry completely before replacing the furniture and other items.

Patios, paths and rough edges:
A little touching up here can make the world of difference. Start by trimming overhanging grass from the edges of your patio, pathways and borders, and check to see if any stepping stones have sunk below ground height – if they have, raise them so that loose soil won’t cover them when it rains. Brush off any old leaves from your patio before giving it the once-over with a pressure washer. If you don’t mind a bit of graft, scrub with a specialist path and
patio cleaner. Finally, pull out any invasive weeds from the gaps between the patio stones, and lift up encroaching moss.

Be house proud:
Don’t neglect the exterior of your house. Wash your windows, and if they have wooden frames, you may want to give them a fresh lick of paint. Clear out dead leaves from the guttering and check that nothing is blocking the soakaways. Throw away any old children’s toys or clutter, and remove cobwebs.

Treat garden furniture:
To prolong the life of your garden furniture, it will need a yearly service to remove any rust spots and prevent against decay. Your wooden furniture will benefit from a good rub down and coating of varnish or teak oil. To remove rust spots, scrape away with a steel wool pad, and use a dry paintbrush to remove particles left on the surface. Finally, apply a waterproof sealer, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Prepare the soil:
If you plan to grow some fruit and veg, purchase a soil-testing kit from your local garden centre. Once you know what kind of earth you’re dealing with, you can improve its quality by adding various nutrients. Beds and vegetable patches will benefit from the removal of stones, twigs and plant debris, a good dig, and the addition of some organic matter such as rotted-down horse manure and a layer of mulch.

Give your pond some life:
Start by getting rid of dead leaves, fallen branches and old plants, but don’t throw these – instead, try replanting in new soil. Next, remove the pump, replace the filter and check everything still works properly. If you have any paving slabs, give them a bit of a scrub and tidy back any overhanging plants. Note however that if you have fish, try not to cause too much of a disturbance as they are still in winter mode.

Get growing:
The weather is warming up and now is the ideal time to cultivate some seedlings. Start off with some tomatoes, sunflowers, salad leaves and chillies, and place them somewhere warm, ready for the sun when summer comes. Clean all your old pots with a scrubbing brush, re-plant your window boxes and, finally, sit back and enjoy!

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