How to give your garden the ultimate spring clean

With temperatures starting to rise and gardens starting to bloom, now is the perfect time to give your yard a bit of a spring clean. Spring is known as the season to refresh your home for holiday entertaining, but if you don’t know where to start to improve your garden, you are in luck. Here is our essential spring cleaning checklist so you can give your backyard a gorgeous spring glow-up.

Get ahead on the weeding

It is the season when plant seeds begin to shoot up new growth and bloom in all their spring splendor. By the same token, it is also time for those pesky weeds start popping up as well. If you didn’t use any pre-emergent herbicides in the winter months, being vigilant early in the spring is essential for a weed free summer lawn. As new weeds pop up you can spot spray them with a weed killer or dig them out by the root. You can also use a ‘weed and feed’ solution to tackle any flat leaf weeds. Dealing with weeds early will stop their spread and make them a lot easier to deal with down the track.

Get Planting

If you are planning to add some summer florals to your yard or start your own vegetable patch, now is the time to get planting. Early spring is the optimum time for planting as it combines balmy soil temperatures with consistent rain patterns. It is also the time to get your soil ready for summer as you will need to make sure it is nutritious enough to sustain your plants through the warmer weather. Adding a bit of compost, some slow release fertiliser and making sure your soil is able to drain will set your plants up for success. In the summer you can add a fast acting liquid fertiliser if you still want to give your plants an extra boost.

Get Mulching

On top of planting, it is also a great time to get mulching. Mulch will not only improve drainage and soil structure, it will also stop weeds from making it to the surface of your garden. By choosing an organic mulch, you will also provide you plants with a nutrient boost. Mulching can be done at any time of the year but is great to do in the spring as mulching will keep your soil cool and retain moisture when the spring and summer heat is at it’s peak.

Cleaning up your annuals

Spring is all about the gift of new life which means it is time to get rid of any annual plants that might have died off during the winter and removing any deadheads from your perennial plants. Cutting back and pruning can also be done in early spring for any trees and shrubs that bloom during summer and autumn.

Do any last minute hardscapes work before the weather heats up

Yard work is known for making you work up a sweat and can be even more tiring when it is humid and hot. That is why any labour intensive jobs you have planned in time for summer are best completed in early spring. If you are planning on paving or installing garden edging or decking it is worth getting it done early so you can relax over the holiday season.

Dethatch your Lawn

If you have been taking care of your lawn during the winter, you should start to see your hard work come in to fruition in the spring months. This doesn’t mean you no longer need to maintain lawn however. Apart from weeding and fertilising, spring is the perfect time to aerate and dethatch your lawn. Getting the perfect dethatching balance is essential for healthy growth. Sometimes removing too much of the thatch can actually do more harm than good and open your lawn up to disease and compression. A thriving grass will have some thatch to protect its roots and keep them cool; anything over 3/4 inch should be removed. If you haven’t already fertilised and applied over turf in the late winter, early spring is also a great time to do these.

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