Spring Garden Tips

Spring is almost here, which means it’s time to wake up your garden and get it ready for a season of growth! Spring is a wonderful time of year because it brings us outside and shows us how beautiful our gardens can be. Hope, new beginnings, and blossoming buds are all part of spring. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, a little prep now will set you up for bigger blooms, healthier plants, and a thriving outdoor space.

Spring clean

We all know the mantra of having a “spring clean”.  A good old tidy up to shake away the winter cobwebs and breathe new life into our homes. But that doesn’t just apply to the inside, it applies to your gardens too. It’s time to wake up your garden with a much-needed refresh. Here are a couple of steps to get your garden spring ready. 

• Remember to collect any dead leaves and stalks that have fallen to the ground when “spring cleaning” your garden. These must be removed because they can harbour diseases and provide a breeding ground for bacteria that can infect your plants. Using a leaf blower will make this job easy. You can put most of the organic matter straight into a composter, which will make excellent mulch for your flower beds, so you can provide your garden with free food.

• You’ll spend the majority of your time on your lawn in summer, whether you’re relaxing on a lounger or playing in the paddling pool. So, make time to give your lawn the once over so you can enjoy it in style by the time the weather warms up. You can cut the grass for the first time as soon as it starts to grow and you can make use of this time to level out any areas that are uneven and plant new grass seed to give your grass a new look.

• When it comes to minor maintenance tasks, late winter or early spring is the best time of year. Check the trellis, gates, and panels of the fence for signs of decay or damage from the elements. You will have more time to spend in the garden in the spring and summer if you fix any broken structures now. Clean the gates and panels of your fence with a power washer to get rid of mildew, moss, and dirt. To get rid of stubborn grime, use a stiff brush. On a dry day, wait until the wood is completely dry before applying two coats of stain, paint, or wood preservative. Don’t forget to clean any outdoor furniture, garden tools, greenhouses and sheds so you are ready for the growing season ahead. 

What to plant in spring 

You will soon be engrossed in a frenzy of seed sowing, growing, and caring for your garden as it comes back to life as spring awakens. The soil is warming, the days are lengthening, and right now you have one of the most important planting windows of the entire year. So, whether you are sowing from seed or picking up pot-grown plants already in bloom, there is no better time to act, but what should we be planting now?

Flowers

Hyacinths

Best for: Instant scent, containers, front door displays 

Blooms: March to April 

Where to plant: Containers, window boxes, front borders in full sun 

Few flowers match the bold and floral scent of hyacinths. Rich and heady, it carries on the spring air in a way that immediately signals the season has changed. Buy pot-grown hyacinths already in bloom this March and plant them directly into a border or container for instant impact and requires no waiting whatsoever.

Daffodils

Best for: Cheerful early colour, naturalising, cut flowers 

Blooms: February to April  

Where to plant: Borders, containers, grass, woodland edges 

Nothing announces spring quite like a daffodil. Joyful, reliable and unmistakably British, they are one of the most rewarding flowers you can grow. Pick up pot-grown daffodils now and get them into the ground this weekend for an immediate burst of golden colour that will last for weeks. They are equally at home in formal borders, relaxed cottage gardens, containers or naturalised through grass. Cut them freely for the house and they will brighten every room.

Tulips

Best for: Bold colour, architectural impact, containers 

Blooms: April to May  

Where to plant: Sunny borders, large containers, mixed spring displays 

Elegant, architectural and available in an extraordinary range of colours and forms, the tulip is the most versatile bulb in the spring garden. But pot-grown tulips in bud or early bloom this March and use them to fill gaps in borders, add instant height to containers, or create dramatic displays that would otherwise have required planning months in advance. 

Sweetpeas

Best for: Scent, cut flowers, cottage garden charm 

Blooms: June to September  

Where to plant: Sunny position with support (trellis, wigwam or fence) 

Few plants deliver as much reward for as little effort as the sweet pea. Sow seeds directly outside in March or start them off in pots on a cool windowsill, and they will climb, tumble and fill your garden with one of the most beautiful fragrances in the plant world. The key to a long display is to deadhead regularly. Remove spent blooms before they set seed and the plant will keep producing flowers well into September. Sweet peas also make exceptional cut flowers, so grow generously and bring them inside as often as possible.

Vegetables

Lettuce & Salad Leaves

Lettuce is one of the fastest-growing spring crops. Sow direct outdoors from March (in mild areas) or from April more broadly. Make successional sowings every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest. Cut-and-come-again varieties such as ‘Salad Bowl’ and ‘Lollo Rossa’ allow you to harvest outer leaves repeatedly without pulling up the plant. Lettuce bolts (runs to seed) quickly in hot weather — choose bolt-resistant varieties for late spring sowings.

Peas

Early and second early pea varieties can be sown directly outdoors from late March. Prepare a shallow trench 5cm deep, scatter seeds every 5cm, and cover. Provide support with twiggy sticks or netting as peas climb via tendrils. Harvest regularly once pods are plump. Mangetout and sugar snap varieties are more forgiving of late harvesting than shelling peas.

Beetroot

Sow this reliable and easy spring crop directly from April in rows 30cm apart, spacing seeds (or more accurately, seed clusters) every 10cm. Beetroot is relatively frost-tolerant and can be sown slightly earlier than tender crops. Harvest from July when roots are golf-ball to tennis-ball size for best flavour.

Best wildlife buys

Spring and Summer bulbs 

Summer Flowering Bulb Mixed Pack, 300 Bulbs 

Summer flowering bulb collections offer a wide variety of plants to plant in spring ready for summer-long colour. They’re perfect for patio pots and containers, as well as in groups in the borders. All bulbs will naturalise too, meaning they will come back every year.

Bulb planters 

Spear & Jackson 3060EL Select Stainless Steel Bulb Planter 

It’s likely you will be planting lots of bulbs or seeds over the coming weeks so a bulb planter could make a big difference. It ensures quick, neat holes at the right depth for planting those bulbs. Go one step further with a long-handled planter to protect your back from all the bending. 

Hidden gem spring buys

These aren’t obvious, in fact they are often overlooked, but they are game changers! 

• Compost & Soil Improver – Soil Improvers and Compost & Soil Improvers at B&Q

• Wildflower Mixes – Wildflower Seeds Bee Butterfly Mix Meadow Garden 

• Soil thermometer - Mcbazel Soil Meter,3 in 1 Digital Plant Soil Moisture Meter

With longer days, warmer weather, and plants bursting back to life, spring is the perfect time to get stuck into the garden. A little preparation and care during March, April, and May will set the tone for a vibrant, healthy, and productive gardening year.