Spring into action now for a blooming beautiful season

After a winter of hibernation, your garden can resemble a forgotten corner of a nature doco. A thorough spring tidy-up is the perfect way to prep your outdoor space for the longer, warmer days ahead. It sets the stage for healthy plants, a greener lawn, flourishing flower beds or containers and endless days of outdoor living. With a bit of planning and spadework, you can wake up sleeping beauty and kiss your garden into a new, fresh chapter. To make the job easier, arm yourself with gardening tools that are hardy, multi-purpose and ergonomic. Got them? Good! Now let’s dig in…

Make the grass greener on your side

Even in winter, weeds can find a way to force their way through your lawn. Make short work of this tiresome chore with a sturdy multi-use hand weeder. It’s perfect for banishing perennial weeds, as well as removing dead plants, performing light cutting jobs and transplanting, so you can get loads done on a short foray into the garden.

Thought you’d skip aerating your lawn? Don’t – the benefits are worth the effort. It allows water, nutrients and oxygen to get to the roots. After mowing the lawn, drive a spiked aerator into the soil every 10cm, or walk around your lawn with spiked aerator sandals – and sneak more steps into your day!

If your lawn feels spongy to walk on, you may need to dethatch it. Thatch, or accumulated debris, can block sun from reaching the grass and water from penetrating the roots. Go for an adjustable thatch rake that lets you choose the right angle for the amount of thatch on the lawn.

Lawn showing wear and tear from active kids and pets is not pretty. Give it a boost by top-dressing it with a nutrient-rich soil mix. You can also overseed it with a lawn seed blend to fill in gaps and create bushier turf.

Add contained colour and texture

Spring is all about colour. Approach your garden spruce-up like an interior remodel – the same rules apply. Consider using colour blocking as an impactful design technique with potted plants, moving from one tone to another in your arrangement. Try strategic eruptions of colour that spice up an earthy palette. Fill one area of a large rust-hued planter with show-stopping Marguerite Daisy ‘Pink Posy’, the happiest of blooms, and surround them with smaller, but equally cheerful flowers in calming white shades such as Saxifraga ‘White’ and everlasting daisies. These natural beauties will also pull in pollinators like bees, birds and butterflies, providing a fresh layer of fluttering colour to your space. Finally, add foliage for textural contrast with cascades of grey-green lamium.

For plant-pot success, it’s worth using an organic potting mix – it’s not just meant for the vegie patch, and actually performs better in containers. And while you’re nurturing your plants, don’t forget to care for your hands with the right green-thumb gear. Pull on a pair of gloves that offer good grip but are still protective. Look for ones with rubber palms to avoid mucky and wet hands, and a back made of breathable material.

Hang out in serene style

Warmer days lure you outside, but is your outdoor room looking a little lacklustre? Breathe life into it with plenty of lush plants for a mean, green alfresco scheme. A striking wall of slender weaver bamboo doubles as a privacy screen – but while you’re waiting for yours to grow, install a decorative screen panel, which is also pretty and private.

Delineate zones just as you would in an indoor open-plan living room. You can prepare for the social season by establishing a conversation spot. An outdoor rug in a pale tone will not only lighten up a dark, shady area but can help define your alfresco ‘lounge room’ too. Keep the look bright with complementary decor and furniture pieces. Kicking back with a cool drink in a timber-look rope circle chair conjures up a classic image of languid days in the shade. Stick to open-frame furniture to let light pass through. Add easy-to-clean, comfy cushions, pair your seating with a timber side table and tie it all together with rattan lanterns. Create an extra enchanting atmosphere, while enhancing safety around seating and pathways, with oriental-style lanterns and slim battery-operated candles. You’ll be able to extend your outdoor enjoyment well into the night.

Green up your relaxing oasis

Before you plant your deck area with varieties that evoke tranquillity, think about its micro-climate. A shady, humid spot is right at home with a tropical theme. Treat plants like you would indoor furnishings and select flowers and foliage that enhance ambience.

To make an impact on the ground, and freshen up the hardscape, seek out soothing white planters. Choose a variety of shapes and sizes to give your space height and dimension. Pot them up with tones, textures and scents that promote serenity such as graceful peace lilies and magical moth orchids.

When there’s no more room left on the ground, the only way is up! For positive vibes, consider a verdant backdrop, aka vertical garden, of shade-loving ferns, ficus, anthurium and fast-growing climbers. Fill half pots with tumbling devil’s ivy and creeping fig, and hang them on your wall, fence and tree trunks. For the finishing touch, install your favourite garden art.

Just add water

If you’re not lucky enough to have a mesmerising water view, create one. Incorporating a water feature such as a mini fountain can amplify the zen-like feel of your retreat and create a breathtaking sensory experience. Nothing says “Om” like the sound of trickling water and its moving beauty. With such a large variety of aquatic garden features available, it’s not hard to find one that’s a natural fit for your landscape. Go for a plug-in-and-play option you can install yourself – and keep it close to your seating area so you can get the most enjoyment out of it. Choose one that echoes other elements in the setting – a ring-shaped fountain integrates beautifully with round planters and seating.

Relax and reflect

Some garden features deserve to be seen twice. Use decorative mirrors as a reflective device – but keep in mind location, location. Decide which features and views you want to emphasise, then walk the area with a mirror, propping it up here and there, and checking what you see. You don’t want to duplicate a garbage bin or concrete wall, after all! Playing with angles will deliver some magical surprises. A shady spot is ideal as it adds ambient light without direct glare, while it visually expands a small space. And, best of all, an outdoor mirror is something you can install yourself.

By following these simple steps, you can rejuvenate your garden and unleash its full potential into a functional alfresco escape. You’ll have a place to garden blissfully, entertain guests and unwind while you enjoy the fine weather outside.

Ready to get your garden growing?

Visit your local store today to find everything you need to bring your garden to life.