.png)
It’s such a joy to see the garden start to wake up after a cold, dark winter. The highlights could be the spring bulbs, tree blossoms and flowering shrubs, bringing a fresh batch of colour to the garden. You might, very soon, start to see frequent sunny days as spring fast approaches and now is the perfect time to get busy preparing seed beds, sowing seeds, cutting back old winter shrubs and generally giving the garden a good spruce up.
Getting your garden in order will early will help make the spring a little less hectic and puts will put you back on track for some flourishing crops throughout the next few months.
See our top spring-time tips to get your garden & greenhouse back in top gardening shape: Please note, this is general guidance, we suggest you check your individual plant needs also (not everything will benefit from a haircut shock just yet.).
1. Clean your greenhouse
If you have a Keder Greenhouse, you may well have been gardening all-year-round. But as the spring months fast-approach, now is a good time to give your greenhouse a good spring clean a refresh – inside and out. Whether you have been utilizing your greenhouse throughout the winter months, or you have been waiting until the weather is a little more comfortable, before long your greenhouse will be home to trays of seedlings and cuttings. Sweep out any plant debris on the floor, benches and trays, and remove any leaves, weeds or remains from the floor. Whilst you're there, you can wash pots, seed trays and the exterior of the greenhouse. A weak solution of diluted washing up liquid is all we would recommend for this on a Keder Greenhouse.
2. Clean the garden
Moving back to the garden, you should remove all leaves, twigs and debris leftover from the winter months. Get rid of any weeds, making sure that you get right down to the roots, so that they do not grow back. It’s also a great time to sharpen your tools, if needed, because you’re going to need them for plant maintenance and soil care during the upcoming gardening season.
3. Give the lawn the first cut of spring
Having given the grass a long break over winter, it’s time to start caring for your lawn again. You can start by trimming and tidying any uneven edging – this will make maintenance easier and it is a simple trick that can immediately make your lawn look revamped. Before letting loose with the lawnmower, you should also check that the grass isn’t too waterlogged – be sure to wait for the soil to dry out before you start cutting as it can quickly turn into a muddy mess before your gardening has even started.
4. Re-vitalize the soil
It is very likely that the soil in your garden has become dried out due to the winter months. To add some moisture and prepare the soil for a new lease of life, you can add organic material, such as compost or manure. You may need to test the soil to check which nutrient it needs and it may also be necessary to add more fertilizer to increase it’s overall health and extend the life of your new plants.
5. Prune and trim the plants
Now is the time to cut back and trim plants and foliage that has overgrown during winter. Plants that have survived the colder months will need to be pruned so that they will re-grow again during the spring time. Blooming plants should be pruned straight after they bloom as this will avoid cutting off any future flowers. Climbers, hedges, roses and trees will also benefit from a spring-time trim. You can afford to leave soft shrubs and summer plants, such as lavender sage, for a few weeks yet in case of any unexpected frosts that could damage them once pruned.
6. Tidy plant beds
Before you begin planting all of your new plants, it’s good to tidy up any feed beds and borders. By removing any brown foliage and weeds, you will allow space for the new foliage to grow (plus it will make for a much cleaner and tidier garden space!).
7. Plant new flowers and shrubs
Once you have prepared the garden and handled all of the old plants, you can turn your attention to your new batch of plants. Begin planting your spring seeds, such as pansies, redbuds, lilacs, tulips and vegetables including lettuce, peas and arugula. If you focus more on planting more perennials, rather than annuals, this will provide you with extended growing opportunities as annuals must to be replaced every year. Perennials last for two to three years and usually survive the winter frosts.
For information on our Keder Greenhouse range, for all-year-round growing, please contact our team today on: 01386 49094, or email: sales@kedergreenhouse.co.uk.