It's a time for essential garden repairs before all of your plants start growing in!
Pruning this month will encourage growth in the next season.
Buddleja can be pruned hard, reducing last year’s growth to a few buds, however, there are some exceptions to this rule Buddleja alternifolia and Buddleja globosa bloom on the stems of last years growth so cutting back now would remove any flowers of this season.
Hydrangeas can be deadheaded and reduced to roughly one third of last year’s growth.
You can also tidy up rose bushes this month. Remove any dead, damaged or crossing stems, and cut branches back to just above a bud.
Check fence panels and trellis’ for any damage and identify any areas that require treating or repainting.
Now is the best time to get this done, the last thing you want to do is trampling over your flower beds to paint or repair your fences.
Treating panels prevents them from separating and becoming damaged by weather and changes in temperate and ensures that they last a long time before needing to be replaced.
Whilst there isn’t too much to do in the garden this month, it’s a great idea to breathe some life back into your tools.
Keeping your tools in good condition means that they will last longer and you won’t have to keep “forking” out for new ones (excuse the pun)
Focus on removing any rust and sharpening dull blades, if you are unsure there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube of how to do this.
If you have one, now is a great time to prepare your vegetable beds
To prepare the soil begin by removing any weeds and raking to remove any stone and aerating the soil.
Add a good quality fertiliser (or even better – manure) and rake that into the soil) your beds are now ready for some veggies!