Winter is almost over and spring is waiting at our doorsteps to bring new life with her. After the snow and ice melt we can see the damages Jack Frost has caused to our gardens and yards. It’s time roll up the sleeves and get in to some serious garden spring cleaning. Here are some great garden clearance tips:

Get Your Garden Clearance Gear

Before you knuckle down to work, it’s important to clean and organise your garden tools and equipment. Thoroughly cleanse your garden gear. This will prevent the appearance and spread of plant pathogens from one plant to another. Plus, it’s a good way to find out which of your tools need to be replaced. If your equipment has some rust, try to scrub it off and polish with vegetable or mineral oil after you’re done. This will prevent rust from forming again. If you have “heavy” garden machinery like mowers, hedge trimmers, electric saws, and so on, you need to check and clean their blades. Check if they need to be sharpened or replaced.

Get Rid of Dead Debris

You probably want to get the garden clearance off from your to-do-list faster. However, before you set out on your spring cleaning adventure, you need to do a little “squirt test”. Go out to your garden and step on the ground. After all the rains and snow in winter the soil is soaked with water. If it “squirts” around your shoes, then you need to wait a few more days. On the other hand if water doesn’t come out, you can get the garden spring cleaning started. Walk around your garden or yard to examine all the damages caused by winter. Your plants would be really happy and grateful if you remove the dead leaves, twigs and broken branches, and any other winter debris. When you clean dead foliage you reduce the chance of plant infections and give a chance to early blooming flowers to grow healthier. Use a rake to remove thatch and allow water and nutrients to reach the roots of your garden plants.

Pamper Your Garden

Another important part of spring garden clearance is to treat your lawn. Check of your garden needs mowing and get your lawn mower in to action. Sometimes after all the mowing and raking you may end up with bare patches of ground. It’s best to turn the soil and re-seed. You can use grass seeds or plant new early spring flowers. This will immediately bring extra colour and fresh vibes to your garden. Just make sure the soil is dry before you re-seed or plant.

It’s “Prune & Trim” Time

After you’re done with ground clearance it’s time to lift your gaze up. Depending on the climate in your area, now might be a good time to engage in pruning. If you didn’t trim your plants before winter, they are probably ugly looking now. Some times it’s a good idea to leave the pruning for early spring, because it helps the shrubs and trees to survive through the winter. Trim any dead limbs, broken branches or ones that have been infected by a tree disease. Most of the shrubs are dormant, so this might be a great time to shape them. Remove any unwanted or odd-looking branches and you will improve air circulation and allow more light to reach the inner parts of the shrub. Remember - don’t prune your plants if they’ve begun to bud. There is a risk of infections and permanent damage to your foliage.

Transplant if Needed

Some times spring garden tidying includes plant transplantation. Since shrubs, trees and other foliage is in dormancy, now is the best time to move them. That is if they need it. Dig them out carefully and try not to damage the roots. When you transplant them to their new home, remember to add compost to the soil. This will add extra nutrients and feed your plants while they grow.

Eliminate Weeds

Have you noticed that somehow weeds always grow out before your flowers and other plants? Well, if you do your garden cleaning the right way, you won’t see these eyesores sprawling in your yard. Now is the best time to eradicate all weeds. You can use pesticides or remove them by hand. The thing with commercial weed products is that they contain toxic chemicals. They can cause a lot of damage to your soil and other plants. You can always turn to organic gardening and make your own chemical-free weed remover.

Use Mulch and Compost

Don’t think you’re done with your garden clearance just because you removed a few dead leaves and branches, and maybe even transplanted a shrub. Gardeners form Oxford want to remind you that there’s more work. You still need to take care of your flowerbeds and planters. The ground needs to be prepared for spring. Yard cleaning comes first, but after this it’s time to mulch and compost.

Spread a layer of mulch over your beds and conserve water. This will also help keep your plants form breaking dormancy too soon. Just make sure that the mulch doesn’t get in contact with the stems and trunks of your foliage, or you might have to deal with fungal infections.

Compost is a gardener’s best friend. Plus, composting is a great way to provide organic supplements for your garden. You can forget about commercial fertilisers when you have this natural food resource for your plants. You can use coffee grounds, banana peels, potato skins, and so on. Basically any garbage that comes from fruits and vegies can be used for composting. They provide extra nutrients in organic form.

Follow these garden clearance tips and you will find how easy it is to get through spring cleaning each year. Once you’re done, schedule the rest of your gardening tasks for the year. Before you know it, your yard will be full with life and colour.