With the days getting longer, temperatures warming up and spring finally rolling around, our gaze naturally turns to our gardens.
They’ve put up with a lot after a cold, wet and miserable winter, so now’s the time to start sprucing them up, planting new flowers, fruit and vegetables, and laying the groundwork for a great summer.
So whether you’re an avid gardener or have just developed green fingers, these 7 top gardening tips will you get started this spring.
- Check all your tools, supplies and equipment
The first task is to make sure all your gardening tools and supplies are up to scratch after the freezing conditions we had last month. Anything you left outside – like pots, storage containers and hosepipes – might have taken some damage during the winter.
Check for cracks in pots, look for rust on spades and trowel, and double check all your hosepipes. They can be susceptible to splitting or cracking during freezing conditions, particularly if you had connectors attached to taps. Now’s the time to replace any damaged hose reels, connectors and adapters.
2. Prune and deadhead across your garden
Take a walk around your garden and deadhead any winter or early spring flowers – like pansies and daffodils. This will help let the foliage die back naturally and clean up the look and feel of your garden.
Pruning and deadheading also encourage new growth, so if you’ve roses, hydrangeas or clematis, spend some time cutting them back for healthier plants and shrubs.
Find all your garden tool essentials here.
3. Feed and mulch your soil beds
Healthy soil is essential for healthy plants. Add some organic compost to your beds now to improve the soil structure. Fertilise as required for the soil and plant conditions.
Then add a layer of mulch around plants and shrubs to help retain moisture and prevent those troublesome weeds from growing.
4. Start sowing wildflower seeds and hardy annuals
March and April are the perfect months to sow any hardy annuals around your garden. Sprinkle them (along with wildflowers) into any gaps in your flower beds or borders.
A dedicated wildflower border at the bottom or far edges of your garden is a superb way to encourage pollination throughout the year.
Getting a hosepipe down to those hard-to-reach areas can be difficult, so consider a double connector to link two hosepipes together. If you’re sowing sunflower seeds, remember they’ll need a lot of watering.
5. Plant some early veg
With temperatures starting to creep up, you can plant some early vegetables like peas, lettuce, rocket, and radishes if you have a greenhouse.
You might also want to start some outdoor varieties of courgettes, tomatoes and chillies too, as well as plant first and second early potatoes.
6. Repair any patches in your lawn
Any great-looking garden needs a great looking lawn, and the sooner you can get started sowing new ones or repairing damaged patches the better. Now’s the time to set the foundations for future success. Click here to find out more about the wide range of grass seeds we stock.
A green and vibrant lawn needs plenty of feed, fertiliser and water, so make sure you’ve got this covered for the next few months.
7. Think about your summer irrigation needs now
Thinking about your lawn, your shrubs, your flowers and the watering needs of your whole garden now will pay dividends throughout the summer.
Make your life easier by planning how you’ll keep every part of your garden fed, watered and healthy.
Whether it’s a new wheeled hose trolley to save lugging a hose around, an upgraded multi jet spray gun to meet all your watering needs or a 3-way Y coupling to send hosepipes to every flower bed, our Gardena range at StowAg will help you keep your garden in tip top shape.