It’s time to pop on your wellies and get prepped for a bountiful garden

Now is the time to venture outdoors. Hardy and enthusiastic gardeners may have already made a start with clearing up winter debris, hosing down paths and greenhouses, planting seeds and ordering plants.

However, the rest of us are just beginning to pop on the wellies and go outside to observe and plan for the year ahead.

It may be a bit overwhelming if you have totally ignored the outdoors and spent the last few months averting your gaze from windows looking on

1to the garden. But don’t fret – with the arrival of colourful bulbs, trees bursting into flower and spring shrubs ablaze, it’s a wonderful time.

Putting in a few hours makes all the difference. So here are five tasks to get you started: Check your gardening tools – clean, repair and sharpen if necessary – and stock up on fresh gloves, compost bags and twine, if necessary. I prefer longhandled tools as they are easier for digging and more gentle on the back. Make use of time-saving devices, such as