Spring may have sprung and in the true English style brought some snow flurry’s along with it, but hey, we are looking forwards to finally seeing more of that yellow thing on the sky which brings us a whole new lease of life in our gardens.

Tulips – now these delicate understated beauties are always a winner in our garden and a couple of years ago we experimented with our raised bed and thought we would give the tulip a go – we were not disappointed, they look absolutely fantastic being showcased in this way. The bulbs will keep coming back year on year, but I would advise replenishing every 3-5 years.

Daffodils – are the ultimate spring flower and I love to plant these with the kids and then see their faces when they finally appear in spring.  Daffodils look great in pots dotted around the garden for that real cottage garden look, but again, they add some real excitement to a raised border.  Daffodils also will come back year on year – often improving on the previous year.

Perennials – we couldn’t not mention these delightful and low maintenance addition. Spring is the perfect time to start planting these around the garden.  The choice is vast, so go get down to your local garden nursery and get lost in the choice for colour and fragrance.  Come summer these will bring so much joy.

Spring Maintenance- this is a great time to get back into the garden. Even for professional gardeners spring is a much welcomed time, as it means being able to shed one or even two layers and nothing beats feeling the sun on your face.  Spring can be daunting in the garden, especially if it has been left to its own devises over the winter, but tackling it one step at a time is key.  Here are some handy tips:

  • Grass cutting  – start with this job, it will help you see see what lurks beneath.  Once cut, rake out the lawn and spike throughout with  a fork,  then sprinkle a generous handful of  seed evenly over the lawn. This will help to fill in the patches and make the lawn more luscious.   Don’t forget, new seed needs plenty of water !
  • Edging  – getting that edging tidy is such a great way to neaten the lawn and visually boost the garden.
  • Patio – pressure washing is a great way to transform a patio area which can get grubby over the winter, again, its another fairly quick albeit messy job, but well worth it.
  • Maintain decking, fences, trellis etc – This is a great time to give the decking which can become slippery a good wash down with and a stiff brush.  Then whilst your at it, for wooden decking I like to use decking oil which revives the wood into a new lease of life.  Fences and trellis will also thank you for a spruce up, again oil is a great option for natural wood.

Bird boxes – such a simple and satisfying addition to the spring garden which is a glorious time for bird watching and it’s a great source of amusement for young and old to watch the birds nesting, feeding or just visiting. In the last couple of weeks in our own garden we have discovered our bird box has been occupied by Blue Tits, we also have daily visits from a pair of Robins and a baby black bird which we think could have been nesting in the hedging. Being a new build property our garden was just grass and walls 3 years ago, so to see wildlife enjoying the surroundings we have worked so hard on, makes it all the more satisfying. This is what also give me the enthusiasm in building up new build gardens into well developed outdoor spaces whist taking my inspiration from my coastal and country surroundings.