Spring gardening

First on the list of chores is to give a bit of TLC to your lawn. Book your lawnmover in for a service with your friendly lawnmover man, and ask him to replace the blades, as blunt blades do not cut cleanly and may damage the grass. This allows organisms to penetrate the leaves and infect your lawn. The same applies to mowing when the grass is wet; lawn-destroying fungal infections love wet conditions. For the first cut of the season, set the blades of your mover as high as possible to give the lawn a light trim. Cutting the lawn too low now could lead to the roots and stems being burnt by the heat of the day. Also the blades of grass are where photosynthesis occurs, the production of plant food, so scalping your lawn will leave it deficient of vital nutrients. Now is also the time to chat to your nurseryman about what fertilisers are required to get your lawn in tip top condition. There are many different formulations to use for various requirements and an expert is the best person to give guidance on this. A light dressing of compost mixed with top soil could also be a blessing for your lawn, but it can be a little messy until the grass has grown through. Next on the list is to tackle the weeds. Weeds love the spring weather too and will be popping up everywhere. It is good practice to deal with them when they are tiny. These little ones usually only require a light turning of the soil to uproot them. But if you allow them to get bigger the only way to get rid of them is to pull them up by hand. Never allow weeds to flower and seed because that will lay the foundation for a recurrence of a weed problem next spring. It is also a good idea to rake up any leaves still scattered about from the winter. Use them as a mulch under your shrubs or add them to your compost heap.

Spring is planting season; trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs and vegetables, they will all thrive in the optimum conditions of this time of the year. If there are still spring annuals flowering in your garden, make a point of dead-heading them to extend their lives. They may continue to give a splash of color and delight for a few more weeks, but as the weather heats up, they will succumb to old age. Make sure that you have been to the nursery and selected seeds and seedlings to replace the spring annuals. Flowers to plant now include zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds, cosmos, portulaca and a host of others. Your local nurseryman will undoubtedly have an array to choose from. Veggie gardening has become popular recently and any sunny spot, or even large plant pots, can be converted into a vegetable garden. Now is the time to sow beans of many varieties, chillies, pumpkins, tomatoes, brinjals, radishes, and other root vegetables, cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli in some areas, and there may still be time to pop in a row or two of potatoes. A herb garden is a joy if you are an avid cook and it is one of life’s small pleasures to pick fresh herbs from your garden to flavour your home-grown organic vegetables. Happy gardening and don’t forget, your nurseryman is waiting to give any advice you may need. Pay him a visit.

The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. - Gertrude Jekyll