15 Essential Tips to Prepare Your Garden for Spring and Summer
As winter's dampness fades, gardens awaken with daffodils and tulips, signaling longer days and outdoor opportunities. Whether you relish digging in the soil or feel overwhelmed by neglected tasks, your garden is a shared ecosystem for enjoyment. To luxuriate in summer blooms, now is the time to sow, grow, and embrace a relaxed approach to lawn care.
How to Get Your Garden Ready for Spring and Summer
Extend Pots with Summer Bulbs
If your containers are currently stunning, plan ahead for replacements. Consider affordable options like dahlias, gladiolus such as Acidanthera murielae, or tall eremurus to maintain visual interest.
Leave Spring Bulbs Untouched
Pollyanna Wilkinson, a garden designer, advises against cutting leaves from spent spring bulbs. Allow foliage to yellow naturally, enabling photosynthesis and energy storage for next year's growth.
Invest in Garden Furniture
With warmer mornings inviting outdoor coffee, clean existing furniture with soapy water and a brush. For new pieces, shop early before bank holiday weekends; affordable options like Habitat's red sofa can enhance garden aesthetics.
Get Sowing
Sowing seeds offers immense satisfaction. Use seed trays with covers for a makeshift greenhouse, label seedlings clearly, and employ a fine rose watering can attachment for gentle irrigation. Avoid sowing entire packets unless prepared for numerous plants.
Try a Seed Swap
Participate in local seed swaps at community gardens to exchange unwanted varieties, such as large brassicas or purple flowers, for new choices that suit your preferences.
Be More Mindful
Andrew Timothy O'Brien, author of To Stand & Stare, suggests scaling back gardening efforts. Instead of tending hundreds of seedlings, focus on a small pot of favorite flowers and enjoy observing wildlife in an unmown lawn.
Don't Mow Your Lawn
Embrace the #NoMowMay movement by leaving lawns unmown until high summer to support pollinators. For a curated look, mow paths or specific patches while allowing other areas to grow wild.
Cut New Borders
Create new borders before plants fully emerge. Use stakes, string, and planning tools to design wide beds, ideally a metre or more, for lush herbaceous displays.
Consider a Cutting Patch
Hazel Gardiner, a floral designer, recommends dedicating a small area for annuals like cosmos, cornflowers, and sweet peas to encourage generous cutting without depleting main borders. Dahlias can also be integrated into permanent beds for dramatic effects.
Divide and Conquer
Garden designer Charlie Chase suggests dividing perennials such as hardy geraniums or nepeta before visiting garden centres. This free method doubles favorite plants and enhances garden rhythm.
Do a Wildlife Survey
Lottie Delamain, author of Gardens That Can Save the World, advises assessing existing wildlife to boost ecosystems. Plant night-scented varieties like nicotiana and jasmine to attract moths and support food chains, including owls.
Spruce Up What You've Got
If extensive gardening feels daunting, start with simple upgrades. Paint old pots, sweep patios, or add cushions to furniture to create an inviting atmosphere that sparks horticultural interest.
Sharpen and Clean Tools
Prepare for tasks like deadheading by sharpening blades with a stone and cleaning with a rust eraser. This prevents plant infections and makes gardening easier.
Organise Your Shed
Tidy sheds with shelving units and plastic storage boxes to protect items from dust and pests. This organization simplifies access to tools and supplies.
Get Out Early
Garden designer Alexandra Noble recommends enjoying the garden in the morning sun, even briefly, to appreciate blooming bulbs before daily routines begin.
