It’s normally only the keenest of gardeners that are prepared for spring and even they can get caught out with the sudden flurry of activity that is required for the start of the gardening season. One day there is a covering of snow or at least a few frosts to push spring further from our thoughts, then a few days of sunshine and all changes.
Bulbs start flowering as do early shrubs, perennials start to poke through and the lawn starts to grow. Welcome to Spring Gardening.
The section – full of spring gardening ideas – is to make you aware of the impending tasks that ought to be at least started. Make most of your garden – for spring and beyond, for much of what you do now in this spring season, will determine how the garden will look for the rest of the year.
For instance, if you delay the first cut of the lawn or leave it too late, it could take months for it to start looking right after the first scalping! The first sunny weekend is not always the best time to see if the mower works, or needs sharpening! To make matters worse, you will probably have to wait your turn as the mower man tries to keep up with the lengthening list of gardeners with wonky mowers!
Spring in the garden is a great time for motivation and to start getting ideas about the garden, and possibly lay out a few plans to follow up; little bit more colour needed in one place; the unsightly view on show whilst there is no foliage to screen in the winter; determination to grow some fruit or try some vegetables; sow some seeds; thoughts about container gardening: As well as all that invigorating stuff, gardening in spring is a good time to start 'the new you'!
All that for the future, but there are also many essential gardening jobs that need tackling to keep on top of, which will enable you to enjoy your gardening more – maybe even get time to relax in it!
First and foremost is to sort out any problems that have materialised during the winter months, when perhaps tha garden was furthest from your thoughts. A basic clear-up will include cutting all the dead bit of shrubs and trees – before the leaves start to appear hiding the dead stuff.
The perennials which were not cut back in the autumn or winter can be attended to now with most being cut back to ground level – not the evergreen perennials of course.
When foraging about in the borders and beds, be aware of the spring bulbs which have already started to show through. So easy to trample them and spoil the emerging flower buds. Herbaceous perennials will also be starting to move into action. They probably beat you to it in preparing for the spring.
Happy Gardening!
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