• Wednesday 27 March 2024
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Why & When You Should Spring Clean the Garden? 

Start your garden spring clean between the start of the Irish Spring, aka the season of Imbolc, up to the summer Season. Why?

• The weather is a lot more settled and drier. With the brighter days, brighter bouts of sunshine and increasingly longer stretches in the evening, it is an excellent time to embark on this much-needed series of tasks.
• You may not want to clean up your garden too early during the winter months, as the ground cover of dead leaves, or old foliage may still benefit pollinators and insects in hibernation. This accumulation also provides a ready ecosystem of food for birds in winter.
• It is essential to clean up dead plants, pull-out old growth, and clear away debris to make way for the critical season of new spring planting that is just around the corner.
• New spring shoots will be ready to emerge from dormant wintering plants. You will need to clear away any old plants or foliage in the way now that the worst of the frost is gone. This allows lighter to reach your new shoots.
• Pruning old shoots or stems will encourage faster and more abundant new growth.
• It will also be a safety hazard should there be broken branches or overgrown areas that may impede pathways or cross over into neighbouring gardens.
• You will want your home and garden to be presentable as you may start entertaining outdoors more. Besides, you will want a lovely garden in time for the sun to shine ( if it ever does).
• If you have children, they will spend more time outdoors during the holidays. Ensure the backyard is in good nick when they have friends over too.

 

A Checklist Before Spring Cleaning Your Garden

Before you begin the big Garden Spring clean, you may want to prepare.

Give Your Tools a Quick Once Over

• Sterilise your tools to remove any old soil pathogens. This prevents any old diseases or dangerous infections from inadvertently spoiling the new growth.
• Guarding against pathogens is essential especially if you are growing your  vegetables in the same garden. All it takes is a quick soak. Use a solution of one part bleach to nine parts waters for a half hour.
• Check your tools for rust.
• Sharpen cutting tools or blades where necessary.

 

Stock Up on These Supplies

• A hardy, thick set of work gloves as you may be in touch with lots of sharp ends or thorns whilst handling sharp tools too.
• A decent power washer will be necessary for the stone walls, paving and architectural features of your garden and external property.
• Stock up on decking oil or Mould-killer detergents and sprays for clearing up your patio and decking.
• Weed killer.
• A decent set of shears, hand shears and long-range extendable clippers.
• A garden rake.
• A shovel
• A long-handled hard wire brush
• A wheelbarrow if you have a larger garden to traverse, and more foliage on your property that needs to be transported to a compost heap.
• A composter will come in handy for recycling dead leaves.
• Large compostable bin bags if you do not have a compost heap.

 

Tidy And Reorganise Your Shed

• Before you start, give yourself a good base to work from. Give your shed a good tidy. Lay out and clean down the tools and equipment you will be needing – this way, you will spot what is missing. This includes the cleaning materials you will be needing.
• Be sure to check for the buildup of rust.

 

 

A Step-By-Step Guide for Spring Cleaning Your Garden

Look out for Loose or Overgrown Branches

• Do a quick safety check if you have trees on your property. Look out for old, damaged, or decayed branches before they become a hazard. Carefully remove them. Cut them down yourself or with the help of a landscaping professional if it is a larger tree that requires specialist equipment.

• Most deciduous trees will still be showing bare branches, which makes visibility easier. This is an excellent time to prune back tree branches before they start to leaf out again. Go for limbs reaching into the street or in danger of affecting power lines or overhead wiring.
• You may want to replenish mulch at the base of trees.

Start Cutting Back Stems

This is the ultimate gardening paradox. If you want lush growth, you must be brutal when it comes to pruning back.

• Start cutting back stems for perennial plants or bulbs that will naturally regrow from their roots. Perennials can be pruned back to about two inches above the ground.
• If you have large ornamental grasses, these should also be cut back to about 20 percent of their full size.
• Remove the dead leaves or secondary stems from creeper plants or vines, leaving the main stem intact. Remove any overgrown tendrils/ sections and guide your creeping plant towards the direction you prefer.
• You may want to install mini hooks long the wall, gazebo, or pergola to facilitate growth.
• Trim back hedging or shape your topiary.

 

Prune Your Shrubbery

You should start pruning before the bushes start to bud.

• Prune back secondary stems in shrubbery and rose bushes to make way for new growth.
• Cut out any dead leaves or seconds that have dried up in the winter cold. It is also an optimal time for moving shrubbery to new locations whilst the ground is still bare.

 

Clear Up Loose Dead Leaves

• Now that all the higher up areas are tidied up – remove cuttings and loose dead leaves for depositing in the compost heap.
• Be wary of any mould or diseased leaves you may want to separate and dispose of elsewhere so that the diseases are not retained in the soil.

 

Get Rid of the Weeds

• Check your paving, beds, window boxes and lawn for weeds and set about removing them ideally with a weed killer or home remedies that are not toxic or harmful to natural pollinators.

 

Rejuvenate your Lawn

• It is also a good time to rev up the Lawn mower. Check your lawnmower for rust and petrol refills.
• You should also start weeding here too.
• Once tidied up – set about feeding your lawn and stocking up with new lawn seed.

 

Clean Out Your Greenhouse

If you have a greenhouse

• Give the panes for broken sections and replace accordingly.
• Check the floor for any buildup of water and give it a general clean sweeping out any soil debris.
• Check for pests and nests in here to in case any colonies or mammals have been hibernating here.

 

Repair and Protect Yard Fixtures

• If you have fencing or raised beds and sleepers – this would be a suitable time to repair any broken sections and seal back with a good oil and varnish or even paint.

 

Power Wash That Patio and Clean the Decking

 

Address your patio and decking area. A good Power-wash will help give your that driveway and paving a new lease of life. Do take care of seams or grouting – you may want to use a softer setting here.

Where there are pathways, you want to replace or supplement the gravel or mulch surfaces.

 

What is your Garden Spring Clean Tip?

There you have it. a Quick checklist of what you should be checking up on as the weather brightens in your backyard and garden. What is your go to     checklist?