As we enter mid February the air is definitely turning!
The sound of the dawn chorus gets earlier every day, snowdrops are covering the ground, and we’re coming to the end of the wintery weather ready to see new life emerging.
This is springtime in the garden, and it’s a beautiful sight!
Spring Is (almost) Here
Spring in the garden is an exciting time for any gardener, whether you’re a vegetable grower, flower grower, communal gardener or private gardener. Spring is a time when there are always jobs to do and always things you can busy yourself with as we head towards the vernal equinox.
We’ve taken a little look back at our notes over the years to see what jobs we really invest in at this time of years, these tips will help your outdoor space look it’s best for the rest of the year.
Do the Little Jobs Now?
“A stitch in time saves nine” as the famous saying goes, and it’s even more true in the garden. You’ve probably got a list of little jobs to do like cleaning out the shed, washing down the pots, organising the seed packets, repairing the raised bed, cleaning garden furniture…
In our experience, it’s best to get those jobs done now right at the beginning of spring while it’s still quiet, as things start growing, and we enter the summer months with summer solstice hot on our heels, you’re likely to run out of time to do them otherwise.
Make Room for Insects
The bee population of the world has been in sad decline for years, and many insects and small animals are losing their habitats due to all kinds of developments.
Spend some time creating space for a bee hotel and bug hotels to encourage bugs and insects into your garden, and don’t forget the hedgehogs too!
www.foxleas.com/make-a-bee-hotel.asp
Test and Feed Your Soil
Improve your soil, especially in borders where established plants that might need a boost. Whatever soil type you have, the addition of well-rotted organic matter will benefit it. If you want to plant shrubs that are fussy about acidity or alkalinity of the soil, buy a pH test kit first, to make sure you soil is suitable. It is very hard to change the pH of soil on a permanent basis, so choose plants that like the soil you have, as it saves money and heartache!
Make a plan for crop rotation in your veg patch to prevent build of pests or disease, and enrich it with organic matter a few weeks before planting.
Invest in Tool Maintenance
Garden tools come in all shapes and sizes, but improper care will lead to them breaking or becoming hard to use.
Spend the quieter half of spring doing some tool maintenance, including cleaning- dirty tools such as secateurs and loppers spread diseases, and hurt much more if you cut yourself! – tightening bolts, sharpening blades, changing power tools, etc.
You’ll be thankful you did in a month or two.
Make A Planting Plan
Do you know what you’re planting where in your garden design? What plants need full sun; what plants prefer shade? Are you going for a colour scheme or a particular scent pattern? What garden products will you need?
Now is the time to jump in and create your planting plan. Decide exactly what you want to plant, where the plants will go, and when they need to be planted, sown, or potted on.
Once you’ve done that you can move on to the task that ever gardener loves doing at this time of year: perusing seed catalogues!
We hope you enjoyed our 5 top tips!
At Blue Star, our fully trained teams take pride in the installation and maintenance and garden management to communal gardens, specialising in prestigious retirement communities.
All of the developments we take care of have dedicated garden managers, who are available to supervise staff. All of our drivers are trained to RHS level 2 standard or equivalent and above, all are employed directly by ourselves, this gives you peace of mind that all of our team always work together to ensure we provide the best advice, service and care all year round.
Want to speak with one of our trusted team? Call us today to see how we could help you.
If you’re interested in finding more about creating a communal garden, give our friendly team a call on 07703562081 and we’ll be happy to have a chat with you to see how we can improve the outdoor space you have.