After all the storms and floods which have battered our Islands it can sometimes be hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner. However, if you look closely, you can see those early daffodil shoots starting to appear in the hedgerows so we know that time is creeping on.

With the weather being so volatile recently many of us have not had the opportunity to spend time in our gardens and see the full extent of any damage that may have been done. Hopefully the worst of the storms are over now so it’s time to be brave and venture out there!

Now is a good time to think of getting your garden ready for Spring and making sure that you don’t leave it all to the last minute.

Garden preparation tips

Here are a few tips on what you should be doing to gear up for the season:

  • – Prune the roses, peonies, hydrangeas and lavender. If you are unsure what you should be pruning at this time of year then check with your local garden centre.
  • – Order summer-flowering bulbs and seeds. These need to be planted in early spring to give you summer colour.
  • – Tidy up your flower beds and borders. Get rid of leaves and any other debris that may have accumulated. After all the storms and heavy rain we have been having you are sure to find all sorts of debris in amongst your flowers and plants so give them a thorough tidy.
  • – Cut back the dead growth on deciduous grasses and herbaceous perennials.
  • – Check your garden over for pests like slugs, snails and aphids and remove them so that they don’t become a nuisance later.
  • – Do those jobs that you hate doing such as cleaning your garden tools and fixing fences, gates etc. Working with dirty garden tools can actually spread bacteria and fungi to your new plants so it’s definitely worth doing.
  • – Think about creating a compost area in your garden. This will give you somewhere to put your garden waste and will also provide you with great compost for your plants at a later date when it all starts to break down.
  • – If you’ve got a greenhouse then give it a thorough ‘Spring Clean’. This will give you somewhere safe and disease-free to keep your trays of seedlings and cuttings.
  • – Consider installing water butts in your garden to capture rainfall. Rainfall is better than normal tap water for watering your flowers and plants because it is less alkaline. You will be doing your plants a service as well as the planet!

So there’s plenty to be getting on with. What are you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy!

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