We are well and truly into spring, what a gorgeous time of year. I can’t believe Summer will officially start next month! From mid-May those pesky frosts will have passed so we can relax a little. Do keep an eye on the weather forecast though, in case we get a late frost. Be ready with some newspaper or horticultural fleece. It can be soul destroying to find you have been caught out, seeing all the hard work and love you have put into growing your plants end up on the compost heap!

When I was writing last month’s blog, I had hoped we could all get out into our gardens again and start our hands-on gardening year. What a time we have had with the weather! There will be extra jobs to be taken care of now, such as repairing or replacing fences, glazing in the greenhouse may need replacing; you may have needed a tree surgeon too. Devastating for some with the damage caused and the flooding in some areas. Let’s hope March brings a better more settled month. As the weeks pass, we can look forward to those days ahead sitting out in our gardens, enjoying all the hard work we have put in over the winter months.

It may not be the most glamorous of tasks but cleaning and repairing the greenhouse in preparation for the season’s seedlings, cuttings and plug plants is best done before you get too busy.  Removing algae, moss and grime will let more light in and will also help to control pests and disease.

We have had some cold frosty days of late, the gardener within is longing to get out into the garden and get started! 

January is a great time for getting the garden in shape for a busy spring:

November is a good time for contemplation. Take a good luck at your lawns. Happy with them? If not, look at an action plan for next year in terms of what needs doing and when.

There are some good companies operating nationally who will come and renovate your lawn and carry out all maintenance leaving you to do just the mowing to do!

One of the great things about keeping a diary is that you can learn from it and this is especially true with a gardening diary. Varieties, sowing/planting dates, soil and weather conditions, pest and disease control, temperatures and rainfall, all can provide useful information to plan your gardening year for 2022.

Lawns – so it’s a busy time on your lawn in October, but here’s a tip to make life easier! For those final mowings of the season, use the mower to shred the leaves and add organic humus to the lawn – it saves you the problem of sweeping them up!