Spring into action

Spring is perhaps the busiest – and arguably the most important – season of the gardening calendar. As the garden begins to wake up and blossom before your eyes, it’s all the more essential to break out the gardening equipment and stay ahead of things to ensure that you can keep it looking beautiful all year round.  As the weather starts to improve, it’s a great time to be outside in the garden and relaxing in comfort is your reward for all the work you put in. Treat yourself and make sure you have a look at our superb garden furniture section so that you can be ready for summer.

An old Chinese proverb says that “spring is sooner recognised by plants than by men” and with that in mind, it’s never too early to get to work with your garden tools to help get your garden into shape and begin your journey on the glorious road to a flourishing summer. We’ve drawn up a list of key gardening jobs for spring, not to mention a superb selection of garden tools, accessories and equipment to help make the tasks easier, more efficient and more enjoyable. Whether you’re looking to prune a couple of roses or mow a country estate, you’ll find our high quality gardening range just right for your needs.

Most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy it. Spring is a magical time of growth, re-birth and renewal and given the recent extreme weather conditions across the country, it’s even more eagerly anticipated than normal, particularly by those longing to grab their garden tools and liberate their once-green plots from the frost and the snow. With a little encouragement, a bit of hard work and the right garden equipment, you’ll soon be able to sit out in the garden (we have some great garden furniture and garden accessories ideas!) and survey the fruits of your labour with an enormous amount of satisfaction and pleasure.

Key jobs for spring

Now is the time to have a fresh look at your garden tools, many of which have been dormant over winter, particularly the lawnmower (don’t forget to set your blades at a high level to begin with) and to be vigilant in the war against weeds. They’ll be making their first appearance of the year any minute now, so keep on the look-out, have your garden equipment at the ready and be alert! Other jobs include:

• Spring cleaning – tidy up any dead leaves and rubbish and add them to the compost heap. Clean containers and replant them with spring flowers.
• Work on the borders; remove any weeds with a selection of gardening tools, turn over the soil with a fork or a hoe and sharpen up the edges with a spade or a strimmer. Mulch with compost or manure.
• Plant new roses, perennials, trees and shrubs and add fertiliser to established beds, trees, shrubs and hedges.
• Sow hardy annuals outdoors and half-hardy annuals in a heated propagator in the greenhouse or on a window sill indoors
• Lift and divide herbaceous perennials
• Prick out half-hardy annual seedlings or pot them up as necessary
• Prune spring-flowering shrubs after flowering
• Clip box hedges
• After the last frost, plant out half-hardy annuals in containers and outdoor beds
• After the last frost, plant out dahlias, bring out houseplants and plant any slightly tender shrubs
• Take cuttings from new growth of shrubs and perennials
• Plan for summer: pick out your garden accessories and garden furniture now to make the most of them when they – and the sunshine – arrive!