Gardening Tips

Spring time in the garden.

Spring cleaning isn’t just for indoors, gardens will now start to come back to life so this is the ideal time to clear any remaining leaf litter from the garden, and trim back any dead growth on herbaceous perennials and grasses to make way for the new growth.

Any plants grown for Winter stem interest, such as dogwoods, should now be cut back hard to encourage, new vibrant coloured shoots to grow, if left you won’t get such bright stems next Winter.

If you find that Spring flowering bulbs are coming in the wrong place, wait for them to finish flowering, so that only green growth remains and lift them, plant them in there new location and water in well.

Tidy up woody deciduous shrubs such as Buddleia, Caryopteris, and Physocarpus, prune out any dead wood, and trim back top growth to a bud by at least a third to allow for this seasons growth.

Both annual and perennial weeds will now be growing in the garden, the earlier these are removed the less likely they will get the chance to shed seeds and reproduce, the more you remove now the less you will have later in the year.

Lawns will now start to grow, mow them on a dry day, and adjust the cutting height on your lawnmower to its highest setting so that late frosts don’t cause damage.

Roses should be pruned at this time of year. Climbing roses should be cut back to a framework of semi-mature stems. Bush roses should be pruned back every year to 8 – 12 inches from ground level, and cut to outward facing buds.

If a rose has been left un-pruned for several years, don’t cut back all stems hard, cut back lightly and trim back one stem hard each year to reduce the risk of killing the plant. If the stem that has been trimmed back hard fails to recover do not do any of the others, you may need to replace the plant if it is really untidy.   

Plants in the garden should not be fed until mid April, plants will not use feeds until they are actively growing.

Remove thatch and moss from lawns, using a spring tined rake or hire a scarifier for large areas, this will help new grass to grow, and improve air circulation making it less likely that moss will grow.

Beds and borders will benefit from a thick mulch to aid water retention later in the year, helping plants find the moisture they need to thrive.