Proper garden care can result in luscious green grass, vibrant plants and sparkling patios. From scorching summers to icy winters, your garden goes through a lot – so knowing how to maintain it is important.
A little TLC can go a long way when it comes to garden care – it’s much easier to set a short amount of time aside each month, than it does to restore a neglected garden back to health.
Follow the advice below and discover how to maintain your garden with a few simple tasks like pruning, weeding and feeding.
Let’s get started with what you’ll need….
Materials:
Tools:
1. How to prune plants
When it comes to garden care, regular pruning will keep your plants neat and healthy. By trimming them back, you can also stop them from growing too wide and encroaching on neighbouring plants.
Take your pruners and make an angled cut just above a visible outward facing bud. Snip away any damaged or dead branches so new shoots can form on the healthy limb next time the plant is in season. Put any discarded twigs and branches in your garden bag or compost bin.
Deadheading flowered plants
For large budding plants, snip away flowers that are past their best. Carefully check where the optimal place to make a cut is – if there are new buds on the stem you’re cutting, keep your pruning as close to the dead flower as possible.
With plants that have lots of small flowers, wait until there are quite a few looking lifeless so you can prune a moderate-sized section all at once. New buds will flourish in their place in no time.
Removing dead wood from bushes and trees
When cutting back bushes or trees, use pruners for smaller sections of dead wood and a pruning saw or tree loppers for thicker branches. Make sure to cut the dead wood as close to the base as possible to encourage healthy re-growth.
Top tip: Most woody plants need to be pruned during the dormant season, unless they flower in Spring – in which case you should prune them after flowering.