Spring Gardening Guide
Spring is one of the most exciting seasons for gardening. As growing season gets underway enjoy our expert guide to making the most of your garden this spring.
Published
The warmer weather and longer days provide the perfect opportunity to get outside and start preparing your garden for the growing season ahead. In this expert guide, we'll take a look at the benefits of Spring gardening, what to plant, jobs to do in the garden, benefits of spring gardening and how to be mindful of wildlife whilst you get your garden ready for spring.
The Benefits of Spring Gardening
Spring is a wonderful time to start gardening in the UK. By planting a range of flowers, vegetables, and herbs, and taking care of your garden beds, you can create a beautiful and productive garden that will thrive throughout the growing season. The many physical, mental, and aesthetic benefits of gardening, you'll be doing yourself and your home a favour. So get outside and start enjoying all that spring gardening has to offer.
Blossom is one of the many things to love about spring. Any sized garden can create a stunning display of spring blossom, by choosing the right size trees or shrubs for your outdoor space. You can buy bare-root trees and shrubs between November and March or in containers all year round. To get the best results plant them in autumn or early spring.
Jobs to do you in Garden this Spring
There are a few key jobs to do in the garden during the spring to ensure that your plants thrive throughout the growing season:
- Clear out debris: Remove any fallen leaves, dead plant material, or other debris from your garden beds. This will help to prevent disease and pests from taking hold.
- Prepare your soil: Before planting, make sure that your soil is healthy and fertile. Add compost or well-rotted manure to your garden beds to provide your plants with the nutrients they need.
- Prune: Spring is a good time to prune your shrubs and trees. This will help to shape them and encourage healthy growth.
- Weed: Spring is also a good time to weed your garden beds. Removing weeds early in the season will help to prevent them from spreading and taking over your garden.
- Water: As the weather warms up, your plants will need more water. Make sure that you are watering them regularly, especially during dry spells.
What to Plant in Spring
Once the soil warms up you can begin planting crops like potatoes and onions and sowing hardy vegetables like; carrots, radishes, rocket and spinach to name a few. March and April is a good time to plant perennials, sow hardy annuals and plant summer flowering bulbs and plants. Whilst May is a good time to look into preparing your bed for the growing season and removing any weeds. Be mindful that the rising temperatures will accelerate the growth of both your plants and weeds so make sure you keep up to date with weeding and hoeing.
Spring is the perfect time to plant a wide range of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Some popular options include:
- Bulbs: Spring is the perfect time to plant bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and crocuses. These plants will add a splash of colour to your garden and are relatively low maintenance.
- Vegetables: Spring is a great time to plant cool-weather vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and kale. These crops will thrive in the cooler temperatures of spring and will provide you with fresh produce throughout the season.
- Herbs: Many herbs, like basil and thyme, thrive in the warm temperatures of spring. Planting these herbs in the spring will give them plenty of time to grow and mature before the hot summer weather sets in.
- Annuals: Spring is a great time to plant annuals like petunias and marigolds. These plants will bloom throughout the summer and provide your garden with a colourful display.
Be Mindful of Wildlife this Spring
When gardening this spring, be careful not to disturb nesting birds and check carefully for them before pruning hedges or shrubs. When tidying and cutting back winter growth, remember there may be insects and amphibians living there or even a hedgehog hibernating, so go slowly and carefully to prevent any harm.
Make a home for wildlife this spring by creating habitats for your favourite creatures. Planting native plants, such as wildflowers and shrubs, can provide a habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies, while leaving some areas of your garden wild can provide a home for small mammals, birds, and insects. Whilst providing fresh water and food source is a great way to attract birds in your garden. Most importantly avoid using harmful chemicals and pesticides that can harm wildlife and opt for more organic alternatives.
Consider adding a hedgehog highway to you garden to allow hedgehogs to pass freely between gardens, parks and allotments. Allowing hedgehogs to move around easily without having to use human roads.
Some Simple ways to make your Garden more Sustainable this Spring
- Opt for Peat-free compost
- Help retain moisture in your soil but using mulch.
- Water your garden early in the morning of in the evening to increase water absorption and reduce evaporation.
- Group plants with similar water needs together, so you can water them all at once.
- Install a rainwater collection system to collect rainwater from your roof or gutters and use in your garden.
- Add some water wise and drought resistant plants into your garden design.
- Use Ollas for low maintenance self water system.
