Spring gardening top tips

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Now is the time to tidy up borders, cut back any dead growth and tackle weeds before they develop.

  • Weeds will come back into growth – deal with them before they get out of hand.
  • Chemical weedkillers are a very efficient way of getting rid of weeds - especially otherwise difficult to control, deep-rooted perennial weeds.
  • Select a weedkiller for specific weeding tasks to give you the weed control you need.
  • Dig in a layer of manure or compost to prepare the ground for planting.
  • Top dress your containers and borders with an inch or two of new compost each season.
  • The compost will break down and help improve the soil structure and fertility.
  • Using the correct type of compost will give the best results, eg, use a lime free ericaceous compost for acid loving plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias.

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Decide on the look and feel you want for your garden before you begin planting. You could try a traditional, contemporary, cottage style, or even Mediterranean look for your garden.

  • Plants are hungry after a long winter without any feed. Choose from liquid feeds, granular feeds, continuous release feeds or specialist plant feeds for specific plant types.
  • Garden compost and farmyard manure added to the soil will also supply some plant nutrients.
  • In early spring, seedlings and young plants are particularly vulnerable to slugs, so concentrate your efforts on preventing these types of plants being damaged.
  • Scatter slug pellets* thinly around vulnerable plants, such as seedlings, vegetables and young shoots on herbaceous plants. *Follow manufactures instructions

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  • Start getting your lawn into shape - mow the grass, feed with a lawn fertiliser and deal with bare patches, ugly weeds and moss.
  • Correct and regular mowing is essential. Cut the grass whenever it is growing - weekly or even more frequently as the weather warms up.
  • Feed with a lawn fertiliser, not only makes the grass greener, but it makes it grow thicker and stronger so it is more robust and better equipped to compete with weeds and moss.

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Spring is a great time to start your own compost pile, it’s a good way to recycle off cuts and dead plants from your garden and so easy to create.

  • You can use a composting bin, an old dustbin or even corner off an area of your garden.
  • Use equal amounts of brown and green material in your compost to balance the carbon:nitrogen ratio to a good level.

‘Made easy’ guides

Download and keep our handy 'Made easy' leaflets. You can also pick up copies in centre.