If you are a real novice when it comes to gardening and simply don’t know where to start, these easy beginner-friendly job will help get you going and take under an hour to complete
If you are lost and don’t know where to start in your garden, experts recommend kicking off with these six simple jobs.
As the warmer weather slowly approaches, many of us are keen to get our gardens ready to enjoy once summer finally arrives. Enthusiastic and experienced gardeners are likely already a good chunk of the way through their spring to-do list, but if you are more of a novice and not sure where to begin then these experts have got you covered.
There are six jobs that you can kick off your gardening with, and the best part is all of them should take you under an hour to complete. This means that you can get on top of your green space easily, either by carving out a little time to do one of these jobs over a few days, doing one each weekend, or if you’re feeling seriously productive you can even manage all of these in one day.
Experts from Express Bi-Folding Doors and Dobbie Garden Centre have collaborated to come up with the best introductory jobs for beginner gardeners to crack on with this spring. From tidying the lawn to freshening up potted plants, use this as your to-do list and you will find your green space is totally transformed.
First up, you want to give your garden a good tidy-up before you do any planting. This is the “essential first step when it comes to preparing for the summer, and if you have been maintaining your garden throughout the winter months”. However, if you have let things go outside as you tried to avoid the cold weather, not to worry.
“One of the quickest and simplest ways to tidy up your garden is by removing dead leaves, neatening your beds and borders for the growing season, removing weeds, and applying a good layer of mulch over the surface with organic compost,” the experts advise, adding “not only will mulching help tidy up the appearance of your garden, but it will break down into the soil and give your plants a nutrient boost for spring.”
Next, if your outdoor space features a lawn, it will need a bit of TLC this time of year. Before you get into mowing and seeding there is one completely essential task that needs doing: removing any debris from your turf. Then, once the weather has warmed up where you live, you can start raking dead grass and any moss that has started growing. Until the temperatures rise more, you can give treatments a miss for now, and instead simply focus on clearing the lawn of rubbish, which should only take you about 15-30 for an average-sized garden, or up to an hour if you are lucky enough to have a large one.
Another seriously quick job you can be getting on with as a beginner is sorting and refreshing any potted plants you have. It’s a great time to introduce some colour to your garden or patio – and this one is also great if you only have a balcony. Focus on colour-coordinating your pots, the expert Nigel Lawton advises, as a quick way of elevating your outdoor space.
For instance, “Primroses, Pansies, or Violas can be effective in spring to welcome the new season,” and their blueish tones will work nicely and complement each other. Nigel recommends you work in groups of three pots, and use a variety of sizes and heights to create a gorgeous impression with impact.
The fourth job the experts recommend is tidying up your patio if you have one. Patios can be an excellent socialising space outdoors or even a relaxing place to curl up with a book on a sunny afternoon – but to make the most of them you want to start off by giving them a good clean. Jet washers take most of the effort out of this task, but you can get it done with a stiff broom and a bucket of water too.
The expert recommends pairing your garden furniture with an outdoor rug to create a cosy atmosphere and popping some cushions and throws on the furniture too to take your comfort levels up a notch.
One of the most important jobs you can do this spring is designing your beds and borders, having an idea of what you want the end result to look like will save you so much time down the road. To help you envision what your beds will look like in the summer, “trim back any winter flowering plants where blooms have started to fade. Start by removing any dead, diseased, or damaged branches, and get rid of any branches that cross over or adding pressure against each other”.
This will give you a good idea of the space you’re working with, as will pruning “summer flowering shrubs like Buddleia, Lavatera, and hardy Fuschias to allow room for new growth. As well as encouraging new growth in the plant by removing dead material, pruning will also allow you to control the height and shape of your plants.”
Finally, a crucial job for beginner gardeners is to take a few steps to encourage wildlife into your garden, which will help support the overall health and ecosystem of your green space. You can do this in a matter of minutes, and start by simply dedicating one small part of your garden to be a safe habitat for wildlife. Place some pollinator-friendly plants there, and then “stacking branches in a shaded spot to help protect them from the elements. All of this can be done in under an hour.”
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