Preparing Your Garden for Spring – Avoiding Overwhelm

If you closed the door on your garden at the end of summer, or maybe even a little before, and you haven’t thought about it since, you are not alone. Many of us spend hours enjoying our garden in the warmer months. We take our time to fill our flower beds with colour. We take pride in our luxurious lawns and we find new ways to get creative in our outdoor space. You might have spent hours every day in your lovely garden, exercising, reading, gardening, and even working. In the summer, it’s easy to love a garden.

Then, the colder weather sets in, and suddenly, our garden is the last thing that we’re thinking about. Instead, we’re busy keeping warm and preparing for winter. This can mean that we don’t take the time to shelter perennials or to preen overgrowth. It might mean that you didn’t clear up, cover furniture, or mow the lawn that one last time.

This failure to prepare for the cold can make springtime tough. As much as you might want to get outdoors and enjoy your garden again, if things are overgrown, plants are dead, your lawn is brown and there are broken furniture and toys everywhere, even the idea of cleaning up might be overwhelming. If you aren’t careful, you might leave it too long, avoid things too much, and end up without a garden to take pleasure in this year.

So, here’s a look at some tips to help you to avoid the overwhelm and get your garden sorted out before the weather really starts to improve.

Write a List

We often get overwhelmed and avoid things because there’s just too much to do. When there’s so much that needs to be done, it’s hard to know where to start. So, sit down and write a list of absolutely everything, even the smaller jobs.

Think About Your Priorities

If your garden is so overgrown and messy that you can’t possibly imagine your dream garden appearing anytime soon, don’t. Ask yourself what you need from your garden. If you want a lovely lawn for the kids to play on, make that, and safety, your top priorities. If you cherish your outdoor dining area and love nothing more than summertime alfresco eating, focus on that zone first. If you aren’t really that bothered about clean, freshly painted fencing, don’t worry about it. Leave it until you’ve got more time.

Take it Step at a Time

Even with priorities and lists, there’s bound to be a lot to do. So, focus on one step at a time.

Cleaning

First, comes cleaning. This is perhaps the toughest job, but the one that will make the most difference. Once your garden is clean, and any rubbish has been removed, it’s much easier to see what plants can be rescued, what furniture can be repaired, and what you’ve got to work with.

Taking Care of the Lawn

If you’ve got a lawn, this could be another large job. Even if the lawn isn’t a priority, it’s worth getting started on it straight away, as weeding and feeding can take time, and you may need to apply several treatments, weeks, or even months apart. Start by mowing, so that you can access the damage. Then, kill weeds where you need to, before feeding your lawn, and seeding any patchy areas.

Repair Work

Next, repairs. If you haven’t put furniture away, and there has been particularly harsh weather, there might be some damage. The good news is a lot of this might be salvageable. Look at what you can repair, repaint, and weatherproof.

Get Some Help

The best news is you don’t have to do it all alone. If you are overwhelmed or feeling a little lost, get help. A handyman can help with repairs, and moving heavy loads, and a gardener might be able to help with planting and pruning. When it comes to the lawn, it can be a good idea to think ahead, getting help for the future, to prevent the same damage next year. Turf management from randlirrigation.com offers complete year-round lawn services, taking care of your lawn now, and keeping it looking its best all year. R&L Irrigation also helps with mulching, ponds, stonework, and seeding, to help you get your garden in shape for spring.

While for your garden, if you are in need of professionals to help in any way then don’t be scared to look into people such as http://www.fortworthtreeexperts.com/grapevine/ who will be able to help.

Once your garden is safe, you can start to enjoy yourself again. Start planting new bulbs, consider a vegetable patch, and add some colour. You might even want to look at larger features, like a pond or fountain, and a mural for your wall.

Don’t worry if your garden isn’t quite perfect this year, just make the most of it. Then, when summer comes to a close, make sure you take precautions to protect your garden for next year when you can start to make larger changes and improvements.

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