Spring is definitely in the air. As the birds begin to sing and the first, bold flowers begin to bloom, it is time to make the most of milder, sunnier days and begin preparing for the year ahead.
Check out our top gardening jobs for the next month.
Getting Ready
This is a good time to prepare for the year ahead.
- Start weeding beds and borders to get rid of early weeds before they take hold.
- Think about this year’s seeds and organise them by sowing date. This will help you to stay on top of your gardening schedule as well as get you motivated for the spring!
- Clean up, oil and fix or replace tools and machinery.
- If you don’t already have water butts, install them now and start collecting those spring showers!
Tidy and Prune
Take the time to survey your garden and cut back shrubs and vines to last year’s growth. Pruning may seem counter intuitive, but a good prune now will have a huge impact on the plants’ productivity in the oncoming year.
- Cut shrubs back right down to their bases.
- Prune wisteria and clematis before active growth begins.
- Prune fuchsias and winter flowering jasmine – prune fuchsia back to two buds per shoot, and jasmine to the previous year’s growth.
- Prune raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and redcurrants.
- Place a cloche over outdoor strawberries to encourage an early crop.
Lawn Care
- Make sure that your lawn is kept clear of debris.
- If you live in a milder area, worms may already be active. Clear away their casts as soon as you notice them to keep weed growth to a minimum.
- In milder areas, the grass may have started to grow again; if the ground is not too wet, a light mow may be advisable.
Keep an Eye on Wildlife
- Although the weather may be warming up, food will still be scarce for birds. Keep feeding them seeds and fat balls until spring.
- Bird food is made to provide our feathered friends with the nutrients they need, but they also love bread crumbs, pastry, cheese, cooked potatoes, dried fruits and even finely chopped bacon (unsmoked)!
- Feed birds all year round – the general rule is high fat food in the autumn and winter, and high protein in spring and summer.
- Remember that bird food doesn’t just attract birds, so be careful not to scatter food on the ground and stay vigilant for rodents.
Late winter and spring are times full of promise. If you have great intentions of creating a fantastic garden that never quite come to fruition, now is a good time to find a reliable local gardener. They will be able to give you ideas on what you can do, and actually make them happen!
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