All signs are pointing, strangely, to the onset of an actual decent summer. If we’re foolish enough to believe the optimists, we should probably start getting our gardens ready now. There’s nothing worse than waking up to a blazing hot Sunday and being too embarrassed by the state of your lawn to invite the neighbours round for a barbecue. Let’s worth through a brief list to avoid the social shame…
Clean & Tidy
Sometimes therapeutic but very rarely looked forward to, the cleaning and tidying of your garden is the first step in prepping for summer. It’s unlikely that you’ve been giving it enough attention throughout the cooler months. Priority number one is removal, namely of weeds and dead plants. For weeds, remove completely; you know the drill. For dead plants, either get rid entirely or remove the dead sections and replenish the base with food and water. Your borders would probably be grateful for a good strim too, at this point.
Mowing
Your lawn is unlikely to be looking its best, so now’s the time to dust off the mower and give it a good short back and sides. If it’s looking flat and listless after the mow, get the fork out too and give it a good aerating to encourage growth and drainage. By the time the sun comes out for a day or so, your lawn should be back to good health. You’ll be surprised how quickly it happens.
Sowing
Next up is getting those seeds in the ground. Anything you’re bringing into the world from a seed needs to be in the ground now, whether it’s fruit and vegetable or flower and plant. The same goes for summer-flowering bulbs, going in now will mean they sprout in the height of the heat.
Water
Let’s face it, the hypothesis of a tropical summer doesn’t fool us. We’re going to get some rain at some point, so get the water butts installed and start collecting a source of free, PH-neutral hydration for your plants. Utilise sheds, garages and houses to collect this invaluable source of water.
Furniture
So now you need somewhere to relax, entertain and admire all of your hard work from. Get the chairs and tables out of the shed or away from the cobwebs in the corner, and give them all a good sand down, prime and paint/varnish. Make sure you get a good, branded, rated outdoor protection and be generous with your coat. A good effort now could last a few years and make this annual chore a little less frequent.
Eden Restored is a team of passionate garden designers working throughout London, Kent and Surrey.
We deliver value-for-money on projects of any size, from inner-city courtyards to countryside cottages.
To discuss your ideas and how we can help throughout the entire process, get in touch.