Are you struggling with where to spend your time and energy in the garden right now? With the changeable Spring weather, it can be tricky to know what to focus on when tidying the garden. Here are our tips on where to spend your time, and the best ways to get your garden summer-ready.

Pruning:
You might notice your shrubs and hedges going through a bit of a growth spurt in late spring thanks to the warmer sun and wet days. Pruning can be really good at this time of year to shape plants and keep them healthy. The best way to prune depends on the species of plant, so do your research before starting. For hedges, focus on light trimming after the frosts have finished to ensure a tidy and tight looking hedge. Shape your hedge to allow light to reach all parts of the foliage

Mulching:
Mulching can really help in the garden, and is usually applied as a top layer, but can also be mixed into the soil. A top layer of mulch can reduce weed competition in your garden beds and retain moisture in the soil. Mulching also protects roots, and increases moisture availability of your plants.

Planting:
At this time of year thoughts turn to planting – with vegies, herbs and seedlings plentiful in garden centres. It’s a good time to establish a herb garden or vegie patch either from seed or seedlings. Starting the seeds indoors and establishing seedlings before planting outdoors is a good idea if temperatures are still a bit cold. And, if you’re thinking about planting something bigger, like trees, hedges or shrubs, watch our YouTube videos to learn more.

Also don’t forget the lawn! Regular mowing (not too low!), watering, weeding, feeding and shade from plants, will help your lawns condition improve ahead of the long, hot summer days to come.

Watering:
Watering the garden in the morning is the best option for plants, as very little water will be lost to evaporation, and the water gets the chance to reach right to the plants roots. If you don’t find morning watering convenient, evening watering is also ok. It’s also a good idea to get to know the soil type on your property. If your soil is sandy, it won’t retain much water, and you may need to water more frequently, whereas if you have a dense clay soil, it will retain more water. Adding compost or arb mulch to your soil will moderate your soil type, by breaking up clay, and enriching the soil. This then improves the soil type helping with drainage, but also to retain moisture.