As a lover of flowers – there is often no place I like to be in more than in the garden! I enjoy feeling the breeze, smelling the garden scents, watching the plants grow, feeding the birds and just the general tranquility and peace that I find while being there. I absolutely love a beautiful garden and have put together this post with garden tasks to do for each season.
To have a beautiful garden year round requires constant attention, motivation, planning and lots of love – but the results are well worth it! If you do these garden tasks for each season, I am sure your garden will be a delight…
Garden tasks for Summer
The garden tasks to tackle in Summer are the following:
- Spend some time planning which annuals you want in your garden for winter and spring
- Feed your lawn with a suitable organic fertiliser and cut your grass regularly – but don’t cut it too short!
- Feed your ornamental and flowering plants often – every second week or so
- Spray any ornamental flowers such as roses to protect them against black spot, rust and mildew as well as pests
- Deadhead flowers often to encourage more flowering
- Plant new trees midway through summer to give them plenty of time to establish their roots before winter
Summer is also the most important time to enjoy the work that you have done in your garden during the year, so enjoy spending time in your garden!
My favourite things to do in the garden in summertime are: watching the birds bathing in the birdbath, feeding the birds and listening to them and enjoying a quiet cup of tea outdoors.
Garden tasks for Autumn
Autumn is, of all the seasons, probably the one with the most noticeable changes happening in the garden! (Well Spring too, of course!)
- As Autumn sets in, prepare your flower beds for winter by digging in organic compost and fertiliser
- Give your shrubs some TLC by mulching with compost and then watering
- Cut back on your frequent summer watering schedule – water your plants less often, but keep an eye on water-thirsty plants such as hydrangeas! They might still need a bit of extra water.
- Start protecting your plants against the winter frost (if this is applicable to where you live!) I like to cover my plants with a frost cover/blanket
- Feed citrus trees with rose food or a suitable organic fertiliser
- Invest in a garden blower if you have lots of trees that lose their leaves during Autumn – or rake often! (Add these leaves to your compost pile – or use them as mulch!)
The thing I love about Autumn in the garden is watching the leaves changing colour – it almost seems to happen overnight! The dabbled sun also provides hours of enjoyment, along with the blustery wind sweeping up hair and leaves alike!
Winter time in the garden is the time to take it a little bit easy. Generally speaking there is less to be done in a garden during winter months – however, don’t forget about these important tasks I mention below!
Garden tasks for Winter
- Water any bulbs (not too often – allow ground to dry before re-watering, or they will rot!)
- Cover delicate and susceptible plants with a frost cover for the cold months (if you haven’t already done this)
- Turn your attention towards spring flowering plants – prune ornamental plants and plant/fertilise any spring flowering bulbs
- Dead-head winter flowering plants so that they can continue to bloom
- Towards the end of winter feed your garden with a general organic fertiliser
Winter in the garden isn’t my favourite time – although I do enjoy seeing the garden “at rest” and knowing that in a few months everything will start shooting and blooming again. Another favourite part of winter-time in the garden is watching spring-flowering bulbs starting to shoot as well as planting a few winter flowering annuals or perennials for a spot of colour in an otherwise fairly dull space!
Garden tasks for Spring
Someone once said: “Spring, a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be”… And I honestly think those words are so true!
There is an unparalleled delight in watching such a complete transformation happen before your eyes!
- Start watering the lawn and give it a good feed with an organic fertiliser
- Keep pests at bay with an organic pesticide
- Prune shrubs and trees
- Keep your finger on weeding – it is easy for weeds to get out of control at this time of year!
- Remember to water more frequently as the temperature rises
What is not to love about spring in the garden? Everything blooming, plants getting their first green leaves (there is something about the green of the first leaves in spring, isn’t there?) Nature awakening…every year I am surprised by how much I enjoy spring – and every year after that I wonder why I am surprised! A garden is truly a magical place to be in spring time!
Some of my favourite gardening things (some pretty and some practical)
- A bird bath
- A bird feeder (or two or three!)
- A pretty spot to sit (garden bench or chairs, hanging chair or hammock)
- A rain gauge
- Plant food – my favourite is Nitrosol!
- Some secateurs (for cutting those pretty blooms, of course!)
What is your favourite season in the garden? And what are your favourite garden tasks for each season? Or your least favourite tasks? 😉
PS: You might also like In my garden…
