Spring garden: prepare your garden so it blooms during springSpring garden preparation - Tips and guides - Outdoors

Ornamentals

There is still time to get bare rooted roses, fruit and ornamental trees in the ground but don't leave it much longer than the end of July. Sweet pea is a colourful climbing annual with a beautiful fragrance that can be planted now. Dianthus and dahlia will also give you lovely colour in the garden for spring if you get them in the ground soon.

Pop in some colourful marigolds at the end of winter, not only for colour but these little plants will help deter all kinds of pests and diseases in your garden.

Trees

Start by removing dead and diseased plants to control the spread of infection. Collect fallen leaves and fruit as these too are potential sources of disease for plants, particularly in an edible garden.

Winter is a good time to prune deciduous trees before they leaf up again in spring. The first things to remove are dead, diseased or crossing branches. When trees are bare you can get a better idea of their form so you can prune them to the shape they should be.

Lawns

Many lawns suffer from compaction caused by people or cars moving over them. To relive this problem in small gardens, use a garden fork and gently rock it back and forward at 10cm intervals. For larger areas it is probably worth hiring a machine that can aerate lawns.

Mulch

Reapply mulch to your entire garden, included pots. Mulches can be organic or inorganic. Organic mulches such as pine bark and sugar cane break down and add nutrients to the soil but need to be reapplied more regularly than inorganic ones, such as pebbles or gravel. Mulch spread to a depth of about 6cm keeps the soil warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot. A good layer of mulch will also stop weeds taking over and stealing valuable moisture.

Tools

For days when it’s just too cold to get your green thumbs in the soil, use the time to clean, sharpen and maintain garden tools. By spending a bit more and maintaining a decent pair of secateurs and hedging shears you will save money in the long run. Dirty tools can spread disease and blunt pruning tools can tear and damage branches, so it’s worth taking time to do this rather mundane job.

Preparing a veggie garden for spring

Choose a spot that gets plenty of sun and clear the area of dead plants, weeds and grass. Dig through some cow manure and compost to add nutrients to the soil and also assist with water retention and drainage. Give it a good water and leave the garden bed a few weeks for the manure and compost to break down.

Decide if you want to use seeds or seedlings. Seeds are the cheaper option but you will see results faster if you plant seedlings. Use a liquid fertiliser once a week during the early stages of growth and apply at the rate suggested on the packet.

Mulch your veggie patch to stop weeds and water from evaporating. Don’t allow your plants to dry and wilt but don’t flood when watering. Less often and thorough watering is more effective than often and light watering.