Spring is here, meaning it’s officially gardening season and time to start tidying up your outdoor spaces after months of harsh weather.
While dedicated garden enthusiasts have been looking forward to this, beginner and lazy gardeners may be dreading the task of helping their garden recover from winter and beginning the process of replanting and reseeding.
Luckily, there are some simple tasks you can do to transform your garden without a lot of hassle or effort and Brian Davenport, Co-Founder of The Solar Centre explains how.
Choose low-maintenance plants
Perennial plants, which require little attention and care, will come back year after year and are the perfect solution for lazy or beginner gardeners looking to create a colourful oasis – hassle-free.
Once these plants become established, they will typically die and regrow every spring, saving you the effort of replanting.
Herbs like lavender, basil, mint, and rosemary are great examples of perennial plants, and they will leave your garden smelling fantastic.
Alternatively, flowers like daisies, carnations and baby’s breath perfectly brighten up your garden, and strawberries and blackberries can grow easily.
Planting perennials is also a great way to create a sustainable outdoor space, as they require very little extra watering or additional resources to thrive.
Plant them where they’ll get the best sun exposure, drainage and protection from the elements.
Give your grass some TLC
After months of heavy rainfall, flooding, snow and frost, your lawn may be looking a little worse for wear and will need some attention.
While this may seem like a mammoth task, giving your grass a refresh is not as complicated and effortful as you may think.
Start by aerating the ground, using a pitchfork to poke some holes into the ground to help with drainage, allow it to breathe and more effectively circulate air.
The next step is to scour the grass for any moss and remove it before walking around the lawn while sprinkling plenty of grass seed.
For an extra boost, you can spread some topsoil over some more sparse areas of grass, and within a few weeks, you should see plenty of springtime growth.
Keep your plants close together
Planting your greenery close together, known as dense or high-density planting, can offer several advantages, for you and your plants.
The concentration of plants in one area can minimise the growth of weeds due to the limited space in a flowerbed.
Their proximity also limits sunlight by shading the soil, which reduces opportunities for weeds to germinate and grow and eliminates the need for frequent weeding.
Dense planting is also a great way to boost moisture retention in the soil, as it minimises evaporation, keeps plants hydrated for longer and reduces the need for manual watering.
Planting perennial plants together is equally beneficial for pest management, as high-density beds can confuse bugs looking for a preferred plant, and herbs can act as natural repellents due to their strong scents.
Plus, packing your greenery into one area can make minimal maintenance easier.
Refresh your garden space
The winter months have likely left your patios, outdoor furniture and decorations in need of a clean, and doing so can quickly improve the look of your garden with minimal effort.
Removing debris and pressure washing your patio or pathway takes minutes to do and instantly brightens up an outdoor space and creates a relaxing area to enjoy your garden as the weather improves.
Any furniture exposed to the elements may need cleaning. Wash metal and rattan pieces with warm, soapy water and leave it to air dry.
Gardeners can also add the perfect finishing touches with decorative lighting solutions to highlight specific garden areas and create a relaxing ambience.
For example, fairy lights can be wrapped around trees, gazebos and pergolas for gentle evening lighting, while garden lanterns can be placed around seating areas to create a cosy atmosphere.
Solar lights are the perfect solution for lazy gardeners, as once they get placed in the desired area, they will automatically turn on in the evenings after enough sunlight exposure, eliminating the need to switch them on.
Images: Unsplash
