After the winter lawns can be left looking a little neglected and with the first bursts of sunshine making their presence felt spring is a good time to consider getting your garden ready for summer.

Perfect lawns are the stuff of dreams – you draw back the curtains one day and glance out at a perfectly even sea of green. The reality more often is moss creeping across the lawn, poor drainage and patchy grass.

Fortunately, a little hard work can go a long way when it comes to improving the appearance of your lawn – you just need to stick at it!

Mowing is the backbone of a good lawn care routine and – when it is dry enough – regular mowing will help to keep grass healthy.

But what about those other issues?

Lawn care tips:

Moss: This can be a problem in damp conditions and can spread reasonably quickly. Heavy use, poor drainage, dry conditions and shade can all contribute to the growth of moss. As well as dealing with the moss itself, gardeners should consider tackling the underlying problem.

Moss can be targeted by raking it out of the ground in the autumn, while either organic or chemical treatments can be added to kill the moss. Organic treatments will usually allow the moss to break down into the soil while moss may need to be raked away after using chemical treatments.

In the long-term though you need to identify the underlying cause and take action – whether that is increasing light access, installing drainage or extra watering.

Patchy grass: Good coverage is an essential part of lawn health and encouraging growth is an ongoing task. Feed your lawn with a fertilizer to deter weeds and moss while encouraging good growth.

Over-seeding will help to restore grass where it has worn away just make sure to do this when the weather conditions are right – ideally just before a rainfall is due. Preparing the ground in advance is also recommenced as raking over the surface will encourage the seeds to settle.

Dry lawns may need a drop of water from time to time but as a general rule, lawns in the UK have good moisture content.

A serious problem with drainage, however, could require the help of a gardening professional, especially if there is no obvious cause.

For help on lawn care and maintenance contact Garden Busters today.

Spring is here and hopefully that means some much-need sun along with a healthy dose of rain to get everyone’s gardens flourishing.

It also means a return to weeding. Weeds are a fact of life and all good gardeners know the secret to having a great-looking garden is keeping on top of the weeds.

Weeds are also an important part of nature and will move in when a patch of soil is left untended.

Managing garden weeds takes planning, a bit of hard work and commitment.

The Best Way To Tackle Garden Weeds

Seeds

Seeds are a major problem when it comes to weeds as they rest ready to erupt when disturbed under the surface of the soil – and fall from the heads of established weeds bringing even more weeds to your garden.

Taking steps to control seeds is an important step in managing the problem. To this end don’t turn over the soil unnecessarily and disturb dormant seeds, dispose of pulled up weeds carefully to avoid spreading seeds and cut off the heads of weeds before they have chance to drop seeds.

Roots

When pulling up weeds make sure to grab the whole plant, including the roots if possible, and pull straight from the ground to stop it returning.

Rain

Wet weather is the gardener’s ally when it comes to weeding as it is far easier to remove weeds. After a spell of rain, hit the garden as soon as possible and make the most of the conditions to easily remove weeds.

Hoe and Slice

For smaller weeds, or in the drier weather, using a hoe is a great solution for targeting weeds by slicing them off at the surface. Easier on the back, this is the best way to target tiny weeds.

Act quickly

As soon as you see a weed appear pull it out. This will help to stop them becoming established and dropping seeds onto surrounding soil.

Mulch

Adding a top layer of mulch around plants is great way to help protect them and make them thrive. As well as bringing nutrients to the soil, mulch also helps to suppress weeds.

However should you have a large area of land that needs to be cleared of weeds you may find it more practical to use a weed killer. If you need help or advice on clearing weeds contact Garden Busters.

With storms blowing in on a regular basis and frost and ice biting, winter is the time of year when garden fences feel the strain.

If you find the fence around your house is starting to creak under the strain – or in the worst case scenario blows over completely – it could be time to look at having it replaced.

At the very least it will need to be repaired, but before you invest in a replacement make sure you are indeed the owner of the fence.

On many modern housing estates gardens can be bordered by four other properties with a fence in common.

There are many theories floating around about the fence on the right side of the property being the homeowner’s responsibility, or if the good side faces your house.

Know where you stand

While these may well be true in many cases there is no hard and fast rule about garden boundary ownership.

Instead the only place to find an answer that is 100 per cent accurate is in the deeds of your house, which should flag up the boundary that falls under your ownership.

If the deeds are hard to find your best bet is to ask the neighbours which side of the property their fence is on – if you ask a few the pattern should emerge.

Obviously if you are on good terms with your neighbours everything is a lot easier in relation to garden renovation.

Respecting boundaries

But still there are a few fence rules that are worth knowing to keep that friendly neighbourly relationship in good working order:

• Fences should not as a general rule be higher than 2 metres;
• Your neighbour owns the fence on their border entirely and could, if they wish object to painting, trellises and any other fixtures;
• Should your neighbour refuse to repair a fence you have every right to put up an additional fence running alongside it on your property.

There is a lot to be said for good neighbours, particularly when it comes to fence maintenance!

For more information on fencing contact Garden Busters.

Autumn is a great time for gardeners to lay the foundations for springtime success.

A little bit of effort before the first frost goes a long way to protecting your garden and keeping it in tip top condition.

Really it could be seen as a spring clean for your garden, it’s just the opposite season!

Lawn care in autumn

For many people lucky enough to have the space, a lawn is the centrepiece of the garden. While you will be happy to say goodbye to the summertime routine of mowing, there are a few tasks to be done that will help to leave your lawn in good condition.

Try to squeeze in a final mow before the end of October to tidy up the grass before it gets too wet, but leave a bit of length.

Clearing the lawn of debris, such as leaves, is also an important task as this will help to ensure light can reach the lawn, and it will help to avoid patches of dead grass and moss.

Specialist autumn fertilizers can also be sprinkled on the grass to help nourish and protect lawns over the colder months as growth stays low.

On the move

Autumn is also the time for a reshuffle should you being unhappy with the locations of any plants. While the ground is still warm enough, carefully dig them up and move them to their ideal spot.

Complement any changes with cutting back dead branches and foliage to prevent decay and make sure everything is in tip-top condition before hanging up your secateurs for the winter.

Delicate plants will also need extra protection through winter so carefully lift these without damaging the roots and store in dry sand over the winter.

Add a good layer of compost, leaf mulch or bark to borders to help protect plants through the cold weather.

Plant ahead

Many spring-flowering species need to be planted by the end of autumn, so plan ahead for what you want to be looking at in the spring. Daffodils and hyacinths need to go in as soon as possible, while favourites such as alliums, lilies and tulips also need planting in autumn.

If you are concerned about the state of your lawn – or need an extra hand to stay on top of maintenance – get in touch with Gardenbusters today.

An Englishman’s home is his castle, so goes the saying, and for many years the outer boundary of that castle was quite often protected by a line of conifers.

Green, lush, and, by and large, impossible to see through, conifers stood to attention at the end of gardens across the country. But something happened to make conifers fall out of fashion somewhat. Was it just a change in taste or was there more to it?

Why do people have a problem with conifers?

The main problem with conifers is the next-door neighbour’s experience. By doing exactly what they have been installed to do, conifers draw the ire of other householders.

So, while they grow tall and strong and are solid, it is these virtues that are a problem to adjoining houses, who see their space being encroached upon by trees they do not own, and, even worse, that block their light.

As well as blocking much sought-after sunlight from other people’s gardens, conifers hit gardeners’ plants with a double-whammy being incredibly thirsty plants that drain nutrients and water from the soil.

This can be a problem at the house the conifers are planted at just as much as in adjoining gardens, with patches of brown grass left near to the trees.

Conifers also need regularly trimming to keep them in good shape – and to stop them growing out of control. For neighbours who inherit this task it is particularly onerous.

How high is too high?

High hedge legislation kicks in at six-and-a-half feet, so it is essential to regularly get your trees trimmed. Neighbours can ask the council to intervene if they feel reasonable requests to maintain trees have been ignored.

With this in mind it is imperative to keep your trees tidy and at a reasonable height. Rather than let this become a struggle, take expert advice and employ a tree surgeon to keep on top of your conifers.

Don’t let maintenance take away your enjoyment of your garden – or your neighbour’s.

Contact Garden busters for help in managing out of control evergreens.