Tag Archives: lawn care

Garden checklist

General garden checklist for May

We know it’s hard to keep on top of everything, especially when there is so much to do. To kick start a prosperous growing season this summer, we have compiled a handy garden checklist, full of tasks to get you going. Why not print it off and try to complete these little tasks throughout the month of May? Read up on our other blog posts for why and how to do many of these jobs.

Garden Checklist

⃝ Hoe off and hand weed frequently to stay on top of weed growth. Weed prevention is   better than cure so consider installing weed poof membranes and mulches to your borders.

⃝ Feed your lawn with a spring feed fertiliser.

⃝ Mow your lawn weekly and start to gradually reduce the height of the blades with each cut.

⃝ Prune early-flowering plants to promote next year’s growth.

⃝ Begin sowing any outdoor herbs that you will be growing as annuals.

⃝ Plant hanging baskets for summer, our centres are bulging with suitable pot and basket plants.

⃝ Plant summer bedding, make sure to harden off more tender summer annuals first and add slow release fertiliser when you plant out for best results

⃝ Don’t let cool temperatures fool you, regular watering is always necessary for new plants. Most pots dry out from wind/air flow.

⃝ Planting strawberries? Place straw under the plant to prevent contact with the damp soil leading to rotten fruits

⃝ If you are growing tall growing plants be sure to put supports in place before the plants grow too tall

⃝ Harvest fully grown rhubarb by pulling the stalks, take care not to harvest more than half at any time

⃝ Start harvesting any fully grown asparagus

⃝ Check for early aphids and begin pest control, think about insect mesh and slug and snail control for particularly vulnerable varieties.

⃝ Check for nesting birds before trimming and pruning hedges

⃝ Put up bird boxes for summer migrants to nest in

⃝ Top up birdfeeders to support tired bird parents whilst they feed their young.

Fresh turf being laid on the lawn.

Getting the lawn ready for summer

Getting the lawn ready for summer- lawn care tips

Lawn care in May

A pristine lawn

A lovely looking, well kept lawn is a great feature in the garden.

Now we are firmly on the way to summer and safely (we hope) out of the frosts; May is the month to get the lawn ready for its summer glory. If the weather scuppered your lawn care last month, there is still plenty of time to fertilise the lawn and apply a high quality spring lawn feed (we have some suitable feeds for sale in both our Exeter garden centres).

Now is also the time to repair any lawn bald patches, edges and thin areas. Repairing these patches will not only make a huge difference to the eye, but it will help lawn health and reduce weed germination. To repair patches either sow seed or buy some turf. For optimum growth and recovery do this before the end of the month. For an all over patchy or sparse lawn it may be advisable to look at fully re-laying the lawn or starting a complete lawn maintenance programme. We have a great selection of turf in our stores, and our experts will be able to advise you on which turf is best for you and how to care for it.

Routine care

Regular lawn mowing is a must, with several health benefits for the grass. How much and how regularly you cut the lawn depends on what work you have done to it recently. For freshly sown lawns or meadows of wildflower, we recommend to wait roughly six weeks after sowing before mowing.

Aeration

Another technique that you can now start to incorporate into your lawn maintenance is aeration. Although it is too late in the year to begin slitting the lawn, it is a great time to use some kind of aerator, be it special studded sandals or a rolling aerator. Aeration can in fact enable the lawn to use rain showers more efficiently and prevent water logging; it can also keep the grass nice and green for longer. If this is too much of a job on your lawn, it could be useful to simply aerate the areas that get a lot of use, such as a pathway, with a garden fork.