Spring, thankfully, is just around the corner. And as every gardener knows, with it will come a frenzy of activity as our gardens wake up from their winter slumber. Before you have your hands full with sowing and growing, now’s the time to get your thoughts in order.
Want a little guidance from the experts? We asked our celebrity gardeners for their advice on gardening in Spring, that you can apply to your own garden. Before you make your seasonal trip to the garden centre, take a look at these expert tips from top gardeners Manoj Malde (award-winning garden designer, BBC’s Your Garden Made Perfect), Tayshan Hayden-Smith (community gardener, BBC’s Your Garden Made Perfect) and Katie Rushworth (ITV’s Love Your Garden).
10 Spring Gardening Tips
1. “As the weather warms up the weeds start to appear. Start weeding whilst the growth is young.”
Young weeds are much easier to remove.
2. “Once you have weeded and tidied, give your borders a good mulch with organic matter, well-rotted manure, or finely chipped bark.”
Mulching not only helps suppress weeds, but also slows down the rate of water evaporation from the soil.
3. “March really is the last month to plant any bare-root trees or shrubs.“
If you’re thinking about transplanting any shrubs, now’s a good time to do that.
4. “Even a small garden should have trees.”
If you have a small garden, here are some beautiful trees you can plant:
- Amelanchier Lamarckii
- Crataegus Monogyna
- Euonymus Europaeus Red Cascade
5. “Now’s the time to prune bush and shrub roses.”
Here’s a quick guide:
- Thin out overcrowded growth to open up the framework and allow airflow through the plant
- Remove any dead or unhealthy stems.
- Any branches crossing and rubbing against each other should be removed.
- Then prune the flowering stems. Prune to an outward-facing bud.
6. “Lawns will be starting to put some growth on.”
Get the lawn mower serviced and give your lawn a cut, setting your mower on the highest setting.
7. “Give your lawn a spring feed and weed treatment at the end of March.”
Follow the recommended instructions on the packaging.
8. “If you like growing vegetables, you could start sowing some seeds indoors before transferring them to the veg patch.”
You can also sow seeds for half-hardy annuals such as nicotiana, marigolds, and zinnia.
9. “Keep an eye out for pests in the garden!”
The sooner you catch them, the less chance they have to multiply – but do try organic methods to eradicate them.Inviting other predatory wildlife into the garden is a great way of keeping natural control. Encouraging ladybugs (which eat aphids) using pollen-rich plants is a great starting point. If you’re developing a kitchen garden, you can grow herbs such as coriander, dill and chives to entice them.
10. “Start your canna and dahlia tubers into growth.”
Pot the tubers in peat-free compost, keep in a light place at around 16°C and water them sparingly at first. Once the shoots appear and the roots feel the pot, you can then start to increase the watering.
Meet our top celebrity gardening talents
- Presenter, BBC’s Your Garden Made Perfect
- Award-winning garden designer, writer and public speaker
- RHS Ambassador and judge
- Master’s Degree in Fashion Design at the Royal College of Art
- Awarded silver-gilt medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2017 for his garden ‘Beneath a Mexican Sky’
- Presenter, BBC’s Your Garden Made Perfect
- Founder of the ‘Grenfell Garden of Peace’
- Awarded silver-gilt medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2022 for his garden ‘Hands Off Mangrove’
- Founder of the nonprofit ‘Grow2Know’
- Presenter, ITV’s Love Your Garden
- Author, Plants, Beds and Borders
- Winner of the Premier Award and People’s Choice Award at Harrogate Flower Show 2015
- Winner of two Ilkley in Bloom Awards
- Foundation degree in Garden Design
Looking to book a celebrity gardener?
DML is a talent management agency specialising in celebrity gardeners, garden designers and lifestyle experts. Our notable gardeners are available for TV gardening, brand endorsements, keynote talks and after-dinner speaking, journalism, book writing, live demonstrations, advertising, consultancies, media launches, events and personal appearances.
For more information, visit our website or send us a message.
