Every gardener looks forward to spring because it’s their chance to restore their garden to its full glory. You don’t realise the damage winter has done until you take a closer look at your flowers and shrubs. Most of the work you need to do during spring gardening is the clean-up.While it’s easy to get overwhelmed, our spring gardening guide can help you pace yourself as you get your flower beds, trees, shrubs and lawn cleaned up.
Clean up flower beds
Clear away dead leaves and dirt from the soil surface where you are planning to plant annual flowers, fruit and vegetables. Remove protective winter mulch from around perennials and ornamental grasses.
Garlick’s H Hardware spring gardening tip: Hedge trimmers make it easy to give grass clumps an even look. Remember to wear gardening gloves to avoid scrapes and cuts.
Divide perennials to encourage new growth
Dividing perennials is a budget-friendly way to fill your garden with more plants. Sometimes, if your plants grow in a large clump, the middle can thin out, leaving a bare patch. Dividing the clumps will encourage new growth.
Remove old mulch and buy new mulch
Remove the mulch from your perennial plants and cut your lawn. Add fresh mulch around your perennial plants. A new layer of mulch keeps pests away and prevents weeds. You can buy mulch from your local hardware and gardening shop in Muswellbrook.
Garlick’s H Hardware spring gardening tip: Don’t spread mulch too thickly or thinly around your plants as both are ineffective.
The benefits of sugar cane mulch
Available from your local hardware and gardening shop in Muswellbrook, sugar cane mulch is great for retaining water as well as adding organic matter to the soil as it breaks down. Sugar cane mulch can also be used to suppress weeds.
Garlick’s H Hardware spring gardening tip: Quality sugar cane mulch will have almost no dust in it, however, take the normal safety precautions when applying.
Buy quality potting mix
Vegetables are hungry plants and require a rich potting mix to perform well. Create a mix of 50% compost and 50% manure. To three parts of the general potting mix, add one part of the compost and manure mix. To promote fast growth of leafy greens such as lettuce, feed every couple of weeks with a liquid fertiliser. Check out the range of fertilisers at your local hardware and gardening shop in Muswellbrook.
Apply weed killer to your lawn
Spring lawn care sets your lawn up to get through the summer months. The best time to apply weed killer is early spring. Weed killer will remove broadleaf weeds and the annoying bindii. Follow up a few weeks later with lawn fertiliser to keep the grass growing strong and to prevent new weeds. If you have bare patches or want to start a new lawn from scratch, early spring is the time to prepare the lawn to grow grass from seed.
Garlick’s H Hardware spring gardening tip: Depending on whether your weeds are annual or perennial will depend on which pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicide you use. If you are unsure, chat to your local hardware and gardening shop in Muswellbrook.
Aerate your lawn
You can either aerate your lawn manually with a fork, aeration shoes or hire a lawn core machine.
Fertilise your lawn
Spring fertilising jump-starts your lawn for the rest of the growing season and aids its growth progress following the effects of winter, such as browning and thinning. It is also great for keeping your soil healthy. As any greenskeeper will tell you – healthy soil means healthy lawn!
Garlick’s H Hardware spring gardening tip: When choosing fertiliser, ensure it is suitable for your lawn variety. There are many types of fertilisers on the market.
Garlick’s H Hardware – a one-stop shop for mulch, potting mix, weed killer and lawn products
Whether you are landscaping, planning a concreting project, painting a feature wall, stocking up on timber, buying gardening tools, or your lawn needs a make-over, we have everything you need here at Garlick’s H Hardware in Muswellbrook.
As part of the massive 700-store H Hardware network, our independence ensures you get a great deal. Can’t decide which gardening and lawn products best suit your needs? Our team at Garlick’s H Hardware in the Upper Hunter will help you spruce up your garden and lawn for spring. Stop by our Muswellbrook shop today or browse our product range online. Phone us on (02) 6543 2139 or send us an email.