Get the most out of your garden with our tips of what to do in the garden each month of the year
January
It’s cold out there so the main thing to do this month is keep your tender plants and yourself warm. We have a range of greenhouse heaters and we sell bubble insulation and fleece by the metre to help keep the chill off. We strongly recommend warm clothing for yourself too.
With snow a common feature of this month, it’s important to remember our feathered friends and don’t forget if you help help them by providing food and maybe some water they will help you in the summer by eating all the nasty garden grubs & pests.
Brush any fallen leaves off your lawn but only go on the grass if it is not too wet or frozen. Keep a look out for seed potatoes, due in any time from early January. Spring is just around the corner and you will see a range of planted up spring bulbs in our plant area from early January.
February
It’s plug plants time but don’t forget to keep them in a greenhouse or indoors until the risk of any frost has passed. It’s also time to start thinking about your vegetables, whether it be be seed potatoes or vegetable seed sown in the protection of a cold frame or cloche. Continue to plant deciduous trees and shrubs if the weather permits.
Tidy up the garden and start preparing for the growing season by preparing any new ground ready for planting, or top dress any previous beds and borders with either manure or compost and a good fertiliser.
Continue to feed the birds and they will pay you back in the summer!
March
Sow seeds in the greenhouse such as Petunia and Marigold, and start growing your plug plants in the greenhouse. Although the weather may be starting to pick up, keep tender plants protected until any risk of frost has passed.
Start growing your hardy vegetable seeds in the garden now, and plant your summer flowering bulbs too.
Divide congested perennials before too much growth develops, and prune Roses now too before new growth develops.
Mulch beds and borders now so that the soil is ready for the growing season, and sweep and rake your garden so that it’s ready for it’s first cut.
Use this time to clean and treat any garden furniture so that it’s ready to enjoy throughout the warmer months.
April
Now is the perfect time to start seeding any new lawns or over-seeding your existing lawn. Keeping a watchful eye on soft fruit bushes for pests, as now is the best time to start spraying your fruit bushes to prevent pests.
Start feeding your shrubs now that they are coming back into growth, and now that the weather is warming up ensure that any plants in the greenhouse are well watered. Ensure all flower beds are mulched to retain as much moisture as possible ready for the summer.
Early flowering shrubs such as Forsythia and Ribes can be cut back and fed once they have finished flowering.
Remove the flower heads (and only the flower head) off early flowering bulbs, this will help the bulb store energy for next year. Keep a look out for summer bedding packs which start this month.
May
Start to harden off bedding plants. Do this by putting them outdoors in the day and bringing them indoors for the night, and then plant out once the chance of frost has gone.
Put supports around any floppy herbaceous plants. Keep a watch out for any pests and diseases and start treating now to prevent any major problems as the season gets underway. Prune spring flowering plants to stop them getting too overgrown.
Start weeding your garden and vegetable plot. Harvest early crop potatoes and plant main crop potatoes. Start laying turf but remember to keep it well watered until it is established. Apply a weedkiller to your existing lawn and then seed any patches, keeping them covered to protect from birds.
June
Ensure your lawn, plants and vegetables are well fed and watered. Hoe off annual weeds as they appear and treat perennial weeds with a suitable weedkiller as and when they appear.
Pests are going to be a major problem if left, so check all plants and vegetables for pests and start spraying at the first sign of any unwanted visitors!
Keep your shrubs well supported so they don’t collapse before reaching their full potential. Now is the time to shade your greenhouse, so use either a shading material or spray on cool glass.
Take some time to sit out and enjoy your garden while the weather is nice and warm, treat yourself to something nice for the garden. We have a range of garden furniture, chiminea, patio heaters and more available in our centres so that you can make the most of your garden.
July
Continue to water and feed your lawn, and mow it once or twice a week. Dead head your Roses and feed with a specialist Rose fertiliser to get the best out of them. Don’t forget to take good care of your houseplants by watering and feeding regularly. Also don’t forget about your houseplants if you go on holiday, if there is no one to give them a water then consider purchasing a holiday watering kit.
Continue your battle against weeds, using one of the many weedkillers available in our centres, or use a hoe. Ventilate your greenhouse day and night in the hot weather and damp down regularly.
Other than that, make sure you get out and enjoy your garden as much as possible!
August
Well hopefully the weather has been lovely, but the further we go into August the summer inevitably draws to a close. This means we need to start thinking about autumn in the garden so look out for spring flowering bulbs due in mid to late August.
Continue to water and feed your lawn, mowing once or twice a week. In drought conditions, leave longer between mows to help retain moisture. Continue to deadhead your Roses and feed with a specialist Rose fertiliser to get the best out of them.
Don’t forget to keep taking good care of your houseplants and keep on top of weeds too. Most importantly though, enjoy the garden before the nights draw in. Treat yourself to a few barbecues, we stock a fantastic range in our centre. A chiminea or fire pit will also allow you to enjoy the garden long into the night when it is a bit cooler.
September
Now is the time to start planting spring flowering bulbs, so make sure you pop in to your local centre and take a look at the wide range of bulbs we stock to add colour to your garden. Plant now to ensure that you get fantastic spring colour.
It’s time to start thinking about raising the cut on your lawn to a medium height, ready for the autumn. If you’ve got any bare patches, now is the time to over sow your lawn. Autumn lawn products are now available and these will help feed the root system, ensuring that they are nice and strong so it survives the winter months.
Try to keep your borders tidy as leaves or other debris can easy spread disease amongst your plants. With the evenings starting to draw in and the weather starting to get cooler, it’s time to think about removing any greenhouse shading and looking into heating it through the evenings.
Winter vegetables are now available in our plant areas, these should be planted now so that they are ready for harvesting between winter and spring.
October
Autumn is officially here, and winter is well on the way too so it’s important to protect your non-hardy plants from the cold. Bring any tender plants into the greenhouse and make sure it is well insulated.
Now is the perfect time to plant any trees and shrubs, ensuring that they are staked and tied in. Continue to mow your lawn, but raise the cut height.
Spring bulbs are still in their prime so continue to buy and plant these throughout October for masses of colour in spring.
Again it is important to make sure the garden is clear of fallen leaves and other debris to prevent plant diseases.
November
Winter is here and the clocks have gone back, so there’s plenty of cold nights. To ensure your plants survive it is important to protect them from frost by using some fabric or bubble insulation. Bring any tender plants into the greenhouse and make sure you have some heating in your greenhouse too.
Christmas is just around the corner, so why not take some time to check out our Christmas ranges. Our outdoor decorations and lights are a perfect way to bring festive cheer to your garden. Towards the end of November our real cut and potted Christmas trees will be arriving at our centres too.
Continue to plant trees and shrubs as long as the ground is not frozen. Continuing on from autumn, it’s still important to keep your garden clear of leaves and other debris. A little work now will be rewarded next year.
December
Your vulnerable plants should be kept in your greenhouse, it’s important to ensure that the greenhouse remains heated too so that the plants will survive. Other non-hardy plant should be covered in fabric or bubble insulation to keep them alive throughout winter.
Keep flowering Christmas houseplants moist, especially any bulbs, Cyclamen and Poinsettia.
If you’ve purchased a cut real Christmas tree, make sure you keep it watered. A real tree can easily drink a pint of water a day so keep it topped up with water. This will ensure it looks good for longer, and stop it from dropping it’s needles too quickly.
