Prep your garden for Spring 🪴🦋

Spring is traditionally when many new flowers and bulbs emerge from the slightly warmed up earth, but can seem a little cold for some gardeners to really get their hands dirty. Prepping your garden for spring as early as possible will mean you can reap the rewards later on.

Getting your garden ready for spring should be a pleasure rather than a chore, so these pointers and tips should help you to get your outside space in top shape.

Flower beds and borders 🌸

Tidying up your flower beds and removing weeds is an essential first step for spring preparation. Your new and existing plants need a tidy, clear space to grow and thrive. This is important, not only to make your garden bloom with colour but to also provide nectar for bees. To prepare for spring, a bee hotel can be built.

Bee hotels are designed to provide suitable nesting opportunities for bees that would usually seek out old beetle holes in wood. By building a bee hotel, not only will you see thriving wildlife in your garden, but you will also be helping save the bees. Native bees are very important as they provide an important link to the environment by carrying pollen from one plant to another to ensure the growth of seeds and fruits. Please find below a link to help you build your own bee hotel. http://How-to-build-a-bee-hotel

Toxic to pets ☠️

If you have pets, it’s important to familiarize yourself with what types of plants and flowers are toxic to them during spring preparation. Some of the most common flowers that are toxic to pets are daffodils, bluebells, and tulips. Note that this is only if your pet eats these plants. Click the link to check out the full list of plants that can be toxic to all pets. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

Freshen up fences, gates and trellises 🛠️

During your spring preparation, take a look and check any fence panels, gates and trellises in your garden. Check for signs of weather damage and decay and freshen them up where needed. Fixing these now will give you more time to enjoy your garden in the summer months. Petplace sells a range of fencing products to help keep your garden secure and safe. We also stock agrifence for small holdings. https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/shop/search-results.html?searchvalue=fencing

Add or maintain your water butts 👩🏼‍🌾

Now is the time to check your water butts are in working order. This is also the best time to install them! Harvesting rainwater is key to environmentally friendly gardening and all these April showers mean it’s the perfect time to start collecting. In addition, rainfall is the best type of water for plants and will help them to thrive.

Wildlife 🐦

Now is also the time to start putting out fresh water for any animals in need. Birds, hedgehogs and foxes are just some of the animals that will benefit from some freshwater lying around. Additionally, installing a bird bath in your garden is going to attract all different types of birds to your garden not only during the summer but all year round. Take a look at petplaces range of birdbaths and accessories. https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/shop/products/wild-bird/bird-baths-tables-and-feeding-stations/page-1.html

Make sure to regularly check your bird feeders at this time of year. More and more wildlife are beginning to emerge and having fully stocked bird feeders will be a big help to the birds that visit your garden. Petplace recommends the Supa Bird Feeder Range. This peanut feeder has open mesh sides and incorporates a mesh base which is designed to encourage members of the tit family to feed from it while performing their famous acrobatics. https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/shop/products/wild-bird/wild-bird-feeders/peanut-bird-feeders/supa-peanut-feeder-opren-base.html