6 Easy ways to give your garden a spring makeover
Spring is the perfect time of year to revitalise your garden – whether that means establishing new beds, putting in a veggie patch, pruning, or planting new seedlings. It’s also a great chance to get ready for Garden Day, which falls on Sunday the 9th of October this year.
Gardening is an unrivalled way to relax and reconnect – both with yourself and nature, and spring is the ideal time of year to get back into it. Pulling out the winter weeds and giving the whole garden a generous feed of fertiliser are two ways to kickstart a spring makeover, but there are heaps of other things that can be done to welcome the longer, sunnier days.
Across the country, people will be getting their green spaces – large and small – ready for Garden Day, an annual celebration of our plants and their positive impact on our moods and minds. Garden Day is now in its seventh year and gaining new fans all the time as a deeper understanding of the importance of nature takes root worldwide. Whether you’re just getting started in the gardening scene, or already have two green thumbs (and toes), Garden Day is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the myriad of wonders to be found in the world of plants and how you can bring them to light.
To help get your garden in tip-top shape for Garden Day, the Garden Day Society has shared a few pointers. The Society is a brand-new community of experienced gardeners with a passion for spreading the Garden Day spirit. Members, who enjoy access to exclusive perks, will be organising celebrations in their neighbourhoods on October 9th. This is what they suggest to spruce up your own green zone.
1. Mulch, mulch and mulch some more!
Suzi from Yzerfontein Garden Club swears by the practice of mulching. “It naturally becomes food for the plants, and keeps the soil moist for longer,” she says. Suzi uses thin branches and leaves left over from pruning efforts for her mulch, but a variety of natural materials can be used to create a protective layer on the soil, including other cuttings or even sawdust. She also saves bigger branches for compost, trimming them down into smaller pieces and letting them dry out before adding them to the heap.
2. Compost the flower beds
Add some of that lovely mature compost. You can buy a bag or two from your local garden supply shop if you don’t have access to a compost heap of your own to your flower beds to give the blooms the nutrients they need to show off their colours this summer.
3. Plant summer-flowering seedlings in pots
Sue from the Algoa Country Orchid Society in Gqeberha makes this an annual practice to add splashes of colour, both indoors and out. Petunias, fuchsias, and of course the classic daisy, are all perfect for pots. You can use just about anything you like as a planter box – a repurposed teapot, an old tin can – just remember to make sure it has good drainage!
4. Scarify and top dress the lawn
To keep your grass lush and green, it’s important to do this every spring. Scarification involves removing organic matter like moss and thatch from the base of your lawn. It goes deeper than mere raking; you need to get down there and pull it out (with the right garden tools) so that your grass can “breathe” and look its best. Once you’ve finished the scarifying, it’s time to dress the lawn in a thin layer of compost and soil to give it a boost.
5. Neaten up and nourish the bushes
Sue makes a habit of this too. “I like to give the ribbon bushes a good trim and a feed in spring,” she says. But the advice applies to most bushes in the garden; if you cut away the woolly remnants of winter and give them some plant food, they will reward you in the months to come.
6. Don’t forget the clivias!
One final piece of advice from Sue is to feed the clivias. A feature of many South African gardens, these striking but sometimes neglected plants emerge hungry after the cold season, so give them some good nosh.
Read here for tips on how to set the scene for your Garden Day soirée!