Longer daylight hours, milder weather and two extra days – what could be better for garden enthusiasts than four days in the garden after a long cold winter!
And after the dark damper months of autumn and winter, the garden will be in desperate need of attention. So, without further ado, here are Agrigem’s top garden jobs to prioritise this easter weekend:
Easter tidy up
Before you get planting or pruning, it’s time for a good tidy-up. Clear away any dead leaves, broken branches, or leftover winter debris.
Clean out gutters, sweep driveways and paths, and wash down your garden furniture if it’s been hibernating in the shed. Raking up the lawn can help remove moss and thatch, allowing your grass to breathe and grow.
Try Sapphire Pro on your hard surfaces to easily get rid of winter algae, green deposits and grime from hard surfaces without the need to pressure wash or scrub - and get your patio looking brilliant.
Don’t forget to dispose of your garden waste thoughtfully and make the most of opportunities to compost.
Lawncare
April is a great time to give your lawn its first mow, wet weather notwithstanding. Once grass reaches around 7cm high, get the mower out and go for the mow! Just remember not to go too low and only take the top third of the grass off.
Give your lawn a good feed to encourage new growth and help it outperform the weeds this spring. A fertiliser with a high iron content will help blacken moss making the process of removing it or scarifying easier.
You can also repair patchy lawns, reseed, or sow a whole new lawn in April. Take a look at our full Guide to April lawncare here.
Plan for wildlife
As wildlife becomes more active, your garden can become a haven for bees, birds, and butterflies. Clean out bird feeders and birdbaths and consider adding a bug hotel or bee-friendly plants like lavender and echinacea.
Consider biocontrols to manage any spring pests like aphids, whitefly and slugs, and think about sowing a wildflower meadow to attract pollinators to the garden this year.
Spring and summer planting
Easter marks a great time to start planting — both flowers and vegetables. Hardy annuals like poppies, cornflowers, and nigella can go directly into the soil now.
You can also start sowing salad crops such as lettuce, rocket, and spinach, either in the ground or in containers. If you’ve been nurturing seedlings indoors, you might start hardening them off in preparation for transplanting.
For a splash of summer colour, plant bulbs like lilies, gladioli, and dahlias. These will bloom later in the season and give your garden a vibrant boost when it’s most needed.
Adding an organic fertiliser like blood, fish and bone to the soil when planting will help ensure adequate nutrition for your growing plants.
Trimming and pruning
Early spring is the ideal time for a bit of pruning. Trim back dead or damaged branches on shrubs, roses, and climbers like clematis or honeysuckle. If you have evergreen hedges or topiary, a light trim will keep them looking neat.
Avoid pruning anything that flowers early (like forsythia or camellias) — wait until after their blooms have faded to avoid losing this year’s flowers.
Be watchful for weeds
Weed seeds that have remained dormant over winter will take advantage of the milder weather and damper ground to germinate, so keep a watchful eye on where they appear.
If weeds are starting to appear in your lawn, try and remove them by hand or use a selective weedkiller to target just the weeds.
We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that the sun makes an appearance while you work this weekend! Enjoy the garden and have a very happy Easter - from all of us here at Agrigem.
