What to do with your garden in the spring

March marks the arrival of spring. Nature comes back to life, the flowers start to bloom and spring cleaning begins. We get out our gardening tools and the garden starts to blossom. Here are a few springtime tips from Opinel.

Pruning

If you think everything blooms in March, you can think again! This is the perfect time to prune trees, shrubs, box, roses, etc.
Pruning removes the dead branches that can harm a plant, balances out its shape to encourage regrowth, makes your garden more attractive and stimulates summer flowering.

To prune trees successfully, you need a pair of pruners. These need to be used properly: the bypass should be on the side of the branch that needs cutting, while the blade should be on the side that's staying in place.
Another important pruning tool is a garden saw. This will cut off branches that are too long and a little thicker. First, make a cut on the bottom of the branch just above where it joins the trunk. Then, higher, make another cut down from the top of the branch. The branch will come off.

Soil

Spring's job is to come in after winter and clean up any damage that has been done.

First, remove any withered flowers, damaged leaves or dry stems using pruners or a pruning knife.
You can also hoe the soil between plants to aerate it and dig over your flowerbeds to give new plants an opportunity to get established.
A good way to give your soil a new lease of life is to use fertiliser.

Once the soil can breathe again, sow a few vegetable seeds: lettuce, beetroot, radish, etc.

Note that you don't need to remove every bit of a plant that has caught the frost. Some may come back to life and flower weeks later.

Lawn

Lawns tend to take up most of the space in gardens. They need to be looked after carefully.

You may have moss in your lawn. If so, remove it and any weeds that have appeared: dandelions, bindweed, etc. Use a garden knife or weed puller to do this.
It's also important to cut long grass and mow the lawn at least once a week. You can use pruners to tidy up the edges and areas you can't get into with your mower.

Small animals like moles often set up home in gardens and make holes all over lawns. To combat this, you need a grass seed repair product and some compost. Simply water everything and keep it cool.

Disease

Plants often suffer a range of diseases, especially ones caused by parasites, bacteria, fungus, etc. so need protecting.

When spring first arrives, you can combat disease using preventative treatments. There are various options available for different seasons.
Next, remember to clear cuttings that have fallen to the ground: these can attract parasites, which can cause disease. You could burn them, for example.
It's also important to protect your trees, shrubs and other plants from pruning wounds. Different diseases can get in via these cuts. We suggest you use sealer and cut paste on wounds.
Finally, don't forget to disinfect your tools after use to avoid contaminating plants with bacteria, etc.