Spring Gardening

For many gardeners, spring is the most exciting time of the year.  This is when plants begin to show signs of new life and the garden is full of promise.  It’s also the time when you can have a lot of influence over the way your garden will look for the rest of the year.  This articleaims to give you an idea of what you can do during the next month or two to ensure your garden is looking at its best for the summer and autumn.

Time for beds (and borders)

Prune – your shrubs can be encouraged to produce fresh new growth if they are pruned sensibly at this time of year.

Protect – slugs and snails will be keen to dine out on the emerging shoots of vulnerable plants such as hostas; make sure you take adequate precautions

Deadhead – bulb-based plants such as daffodils have now finished flowering and can be cut  down to ground level.

Weeding – the only safe way to keep weeds from choking your flower beds is to pull them out on a regular basis

Compost – if you haven’t already got one, consider setting aside an area for a compost heap. Either build your own or buy a ready made compost bin (you may be able to get one at a reduced rate from your local council).

Fertilise – a good peat-free compost should be dug into soil to provide the best possible growing environment for your plants.

Plant – now is a great time to plant all types of hardy plants including deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs, climbers and hardy herbaceous plants

Kitchen garden – various vegetables and fruit can be planted at this time of year and will be ready for harvesting during the summer.

The green green grass of home

A well-tended lawn can be like a cool calm oasis when enclosed by meandering borders packed to the edges with vigorous flowering plants.  A lawn needs regular mowing throughout the growing season.  Other maintenance tasks such as removing moss and weeds, seasonal feeding and watering and other lawn treatments may be necessary to keep your lawn in tip-top condition.

It is worth it!

It can be hard to find the time to keep your garden looking the way you like it.  It’s amazing how quickly everything grows and also surprising how you don’t realise it until the day before everyone is coming round for a barbecue!  If you don’t have the time or the inclination to keep your garden in tip-top condition, a good and reasonably inexpensive option is employ a professional gardener. Two or three hours every week or two can keep your garden looking great. If this sounds like an attractive option to you and you would like a reliable North London Gardener, please contact us.