The main areas of many gardens are the lawn, borders and patio, but often they’re the most neglected. This is usually down to a lack of time. Keeping a garden in shape is a hefty task. But, when summer is on its way, it’s also an important one. No one enjoys spending their summer in an overgrown or scruffy garden. So, take the time to do a few garden DIY tasks now and you’ll reap the rewards.
With These Handy Tips you will have your garden prepared for a long lovely summer in no time.
Laying your new lawn
A patchy, weed-strewn lawn looks terrible. If it isn’t too bad you can hand weed, apply a targetted weedkiller spray and then sprinkle on new grass seed to fill the patches. Don’t forget to apply some grass feed before the growing season as this will help the roots grow and give your lawn a good boost.
When a lawn has become too patchy, with more weeds and moss than actual grass, you are probably best just starting again. This is not just a job for the landscape gardener, this is something you could do yourself.
Before you start ordering your turf, you’d be wise to get your prep done first. This entails removing the old turf, leveling the ground, and loosening any soil that is heavily compacted. If the soil in your garden is of poor quality your new lawn won’t flourish. You may benefit from adding more nutrient-rich topsoil to the ground. We have a whole article that walks you through exactly how to remove old turf and lay a new lawn here so refer to that for the details of the job.
Once you’ve got the prep done, it’s time to order your new turf. It can be tempting to shop around for the cheapest price. However, you get what you pay for in many instances. You can get an idea of the prices for turf here. Whatever your budget, make sure you’re getting something that is of good quality. This will save you time and money in the future. Some varieties will establish quicker than others, but there are other factors to consider too. Some varieties will grow better in shady gardens, and others will stand up to a lot of use.
Improving your borders
Borders are the part of your garden that add the most in terms of colour and interest. But keeping them looking good does take a bit of maintenance. That’s why many people rely on gardeners to come and do the hard work for them. However, it’s a job you can do yourself with a bit of time and patience.
If your existing borders don’t allow enough room for varied planting, try to expand their size. Deeper, wider borders will give you the opportunity to introduce more shrubs. These will mature over time to create a lush green space but require little maintenance. If you’re struggling with adequate depth in your borders, you could turn them into raised beds so they have more impact.
For summer colour, you will probably want to introduce more flowers as well as shrubs. Choosing perennials will give you repeat-flowering, year after year. If you buy in bulk even good quantity of plants work out quite cheap. This is ideal as plants have an amazing impact when you cover an area with lots of the same thing. Just having one, here or there, won’t give you an eye-catching display. So shop around and find a specialist supplier and buy their quality plants in large quantities.
Reviving your patio
Patios are great in the summertime, allowing you space to be sociable and laze in the sun. Despite their uses, keeping them looking as good as the day they were laid is difficult. Over the winter, algae and moss can build up on stone and concrete surfaces, making them slimy and unsightly. This is simple enough to remedy though.
Perhaps the easiest way to give your patio a good clean up, is by using a pressure washer. These aren’t too expensive to buy, but you may prefer to hire or borrow one for the day. You shouldn’t need anything but the pressure from the water to remove the green gunge. This is the best option when you have pets or young children. Other methods can be used, but this one is quick and chemical-free.
If you have a patio made from decking rather than paving it will still benefit from a good clean. You can read about how to do this without damaging the wood decking planks here.
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