7 Ways to Spruce up Your Garden This Spring

When the thermometer rises, so too does the amount of time we spend outside — playing, relaxing and entertaining. So to make sure your home’s outdoor space and garden is looking its very Spring-best, here’s a handy list of ways to keep your yard beautiful.

Dial-up your lawn’s lush factor

Grass growth slows considerably over the cooler months, meaning we get a little respite from mowing during winter. Now spring is here, it’s time to dust off the mower and get on top of your lawn before it becomes unmanageable.

Hit it first with a line trimmer, which you can use to trim back longer grass around letterboxes and fences, as well as define your edges. Then set your mower to a low setting to dethatch and remove any dead grass build-up. It’s then best to feed your lawn with fertiliser and water it well to help it hydrate. It may look a little bare for a few weeks, but the health benefits make it worthwhile.

Get heavy-handed with your trees and hedges

Regular hedge trimming isn’t just a great way to keep your garden looking tidy — it’s a great way to encourage growth and ensure a full, dense hedge. Keeping on top of trimming your hedge lets in lots of lovely sunlight and water and promotes good growth throughout the whole plant. Got a bit carried away and now dealing with a ‘woody’-looking hedge? Never fear, give it a few weeks and your green centrepiece will be back and looking better (and healthier) than ever.

Take the same approach with the rest of your garden. Remove old fronds from palms, cut back old tree branches, and snip off dead leaves and flowers to have your garden looking fresh and tidy.

Go to work on the weeds

Weeding: a chore for some, therapy for others. Either way, removing weeds is an essential part of maintaining any outdoor area. These pesky plants can be frustrating! While it can be a struggle to keep your beloved herb and veggie garden healthy, weeds seem to thrive anywhere and everywhere — your garden, pavement and even concrete areas. So to remove them, go in with a clear strategy. Weeding is easiest when the soil is moist and loose, so dive on in after it rains or water the garden before your weeding session. When pulling out weeds, remove the whole plant and root, otherwise, it will grow back fiercer than before. If you’re opting to spray them instead, try a homemade natural weed-killer recipe — like a mixture of washing detergent, salt and vinegar.

Find time for fertilising

To earn the status of epic gardener, fertilising your lawn and garden is a must and spring is the perfect time of year to do it. Nutrients from fertilisers encourage plants to grow and stay healthy and are helpful during the ‘growing season’. The type and amount of fertiliser needed depends on what type of plant you have and where it’s growing, so do some research and keep in mind that it’s better to under-fertilise than to overdo it.

Create or makeover your garden

Spring is about new beginnings and is the perfect time of year to establish any new plantings or gardens you’ve been dreaming up in your mind. Inject colour into your space with a new flower bed or grow delicious produce at home with a vegetable garden. Beginners can start small with easy to grow plants like sunflowers, geraniums, or salad leaves, but be warned — plants are addictive.

If you have an existing garden, give it a healthy prune, top with mulch and consider companion planting to breathe new life and colour into your garden.

Repot your plants

Give your precious pot babies a new lease on life with a container upgrade! Moving your indoor pot plants and outdoor container plants to slightly larger spaces with a root trim and fresh potting mix can supercharge their growth.

What to do with any smaller pots and containers left over? Propagate your existing plants or hit the nearest nursery and fill them with new plants and turn your home into a jungle of greenery.

Spring clean living spaces

Take the spring cleaning outside. Hose or sponge down your outdoor furniture, wash any outdoor cushions or tablecloths and give the barbecue a good cleanout. Don’t forget to check any wooden furniture or decking to see if it needs a fresh coat of paint or re-oiling. Give any flooring areas a good sweep — or even a high-pressure wash if you can. Finish off with a new cushion, throw or candle, and you’ll have yourself a satisfying ‘after’ shot for your efforts.

Think your Everleigh garden is the best of the best? Put it to the test in our quarterly Garden Competition, run by our community managers Enriching Communities Greenbank. Good luck, green thumbs!