Six quick fixes for your garden Get it summer ready
Get set for summer! Louise Golden, resident gardener at Dobbies Garden Centres, has these brilliant tips to make sure your garden is looking its colourful best
1 The grass is greener…
Now is the perfect time to cut your grass. Make sure the lawnmower blades are set high for the first few cuts, then use a good feed and weedkiller to help keep your lawn looking its best. Tidy edges using a half-moon edging iron or a spade. Weekly mowing is best for a healthy lawn; put your clippings on the compost heap. Mid-april to early May is the perfect time to sow new lawns, or repair bare patches on ground that has been prepared, levelled and firmed. Be sure to keep it well watered and avoid walking on it for a few weeks. For faster results lay new turf, leaving it undisturbed for a few weeks to allow it to bed in. A high nitrogen feed will make it lush.
2 Summer berries
Plant soft fruit now, such as rhubarb, raspberries, blackcurrants and blueberries, and start planting out strawberry plants. If you are growing strawberries in pots or baskets, spread straw around the plants to prevent the fruit being spoiled by soil splash. If needed, protect plants with netting to deter hungry critters and birds.
3 Handy herbs
This time of year is ideal to plant rows of herbs, such as parsley and coriander, ready for a plentiful supply in summer. If you are short on space, grow in containers on your patio for quick picking from the back door. Once any risk of frost has passed, grow pots of sweet basil for Italian recipes and home-made pesto – a delicious addition to any family barbecue – and easy to make!
‘Spring is always one of the busiest times in the garden’
4 Get weeding
Watch out for weeds that will be appearing with the warmer temperatures. The quickest and easiest way to control them is to hoe them off before they have a chance to get established, then apply a thick layer of mulch over the soil surface to keep any further growth at bay. Mulching with organic matter, such as garden compost, locks in moisture and helps to improve the soil over time, giving your plants a much-needed boost.
5 Head start for next year
Deadhead clumps of daffodils and tulips, so that energy is concentrated back into the bulb for next spring. Leave the foliage in place to die back naturally.
6 Pots of joy
As summer starts to approach, now is a good time to plant up your patio containers, hanging baskets and window boxes with summer bedding plants. They put on a fabulous display of colour and bring your outdoor space to life. Refresh your tubs and baskets by pulling up any tired winter bedding plants that have come to an end and replacing them with a cheerful display of colourful flowers such as pansies, violas, bellis and polyanthus. One of the most economical ways to fill your tubs and baskets with colour is to grow your own bedding plants from young plug plants.
Just make sure you keep them protected until the risk of frost has passed.