How to Prepare Your French Garden in Springtime

As winter slowly retreats and makes way for spring, you may find yourself looking into your frost-ravaged garden and wondering where on earth to start. If you want your flowerbeds to be the talk of the town by summer, you need to start putting the work in sooner rather than later. Here are our five top tips for prepping your French garden in spring!

Get your tools in shape

After the previous spring/summer’s use and a winter locked away, your gardening implements could do with a bit of TLC. Sharpen your spades and shovels (you’ll be amazed by the difference), oil your machinery and make sure everything is in tip-top condition for when you really need it.

Weed and tidy

Spring cleaning isn’t just for the house! It’s a great time to tackle your unruly beds and borders. Clear out the dead weeds and debris from winter and get your garden to a workable state.

Check your guttering and install water butts

Keeping your garden happy in the height of summer can be a pricey task – it’s hard not to envision money flying out of the end of your hosepipe! Harness the rainfall early by getting water butts connected to your drainpipes and start stocking up ahead of the warmer weather.

Prune your hedges and fruit trees

If you didn’t prune your fruit trees in the winter this is your last chance, so long as they haven’t blossomed yet. You should also have a go at your hedges, getting them to the size and shape you’d like to maintain for the rest of the year.

Sow your early seeds

While a lot of seeds will call for sowing from April-onwards you should make sure that any plants that prefer a longer season are being sown sooner rather than later. Certain vegetables, like chilli peppers, tomatoes and kale, and flowers like salvias, sweet peas and cosmos will need to get started this month.

Early spring is not the time to put your feet up – make the most of the quiet season and you’re sure to (literally) reap the rewards!