With spring just around the corner - we know it doesn’t feel like winter is going to end right now, but we promise spring will be here soon! Now is the best time to get your garden looking its best whilst the weather is keeping fine and temperatures are on the rise (slightly).   With autumn’ wetness giving us a reason not to venture out and the winter’s cold, wet and snowy days persuading us to stay inside with the fire lit. Even some us of here at World of Power have been neglecting our gardening duties – we do promise every year it will be different but hey another year another neglected garden.   Looking out the window at children’s toys strewn everywhere from the wind (and of course us not putting them away when we should!). Remnants of litter and fireworks can leave gardens dug up and unbelievably churned up. And the lawn? Mine, thankfully this year does not resemble a mud pit but you know who you are out there who can see this from their window!   We all know the first trip into the garden (we usually like to call it the unknown!) is as much fun as pulling teeth...but think ahead to those Summer garden parties where we can sit out through the night enjoying great company. But where do we start?.....  

Children’s Toys

Remove the upside down, thrown around toys from the lawn and maybe even give them a clean with a power pressure washer before storing away so you can see the real damage. No children’s toys around to clear up then we can solve that problem with a range of kids toys available at the click of a finger!    

Leaf Clearing

Some may have kept up with removing leaves from their lawn throughout autumn and Winter but for those of us who haven’t they are left soggy and clogged together. A leaf blower / vacuum from World of Power can help you clean these away quickly with minimal fuss (and less back ache!) By far our most popular petrol models are the Makita BHX2501 and the Stihl SH86 leaf blower models, they quickly get the job done but are also very reliable machines, that offer an excellent working life! There are also electric and battery models that are more than up to the task.  

Winter Pruning

With trees standing more ‘dormant’ in winter time, there is less risk of damaging their growth, this is a great time of year to make any last minute small cut backs you should have made all those weeks ago. But be careful not to make the cutbacks to large as this can cause damage. The Stihl Universal Secateurs are the perfect hand held tool to give little snips around the garden whilst the Large Anvil Pruning Shears allows you to reach higher and cut a larger diameter. There is no excuse for uncut flowers, with our range of secateurs and shears you can keep flowers looking fresh – cut them back out of season correctly and watch them blossom at this time of year. After all the site of those lovely fresh smelling flowers in the kitchen window in the morning is a beautiful sight – and of course they don’t go unnoticed when guests are around, the compliments will give you the kick start you need to get your garden going!  

Prepare that Lawn Area

Why not begin with the above before spring is fully sprung (sorry!), makes the job much easier when the time comes to get out there and begin to tackle the lawn, vegetable patches and weeds….  

Remove Weeds

Now, where we can, we do like to offer a machine which saves you from doing the back breaking work (no need for thank you’s!) but when it comes to removing weeds we find the best answer, is to get down right and dirty and do it yourself. Draper have a fantastic range of garden care hand tools which can take care of even the strongest of weeds. From spades, forks and hoes to pruning sets and buckets to remove of the weeds, this range really does have it all. And for those who have budding young gardeners in the family, the Draper Young Gardeners range is the perfect size for them to help you in the garden without using bulky heavy tools.  

Dig Over Dormant Vegetable Patches

If the thought of back breaking work, digging over by hand worries you, try using a tiller which will get the job done much quicker, we have petrol tillers, electric tillers and battery tillers.  

Trim the Lawn Edge for A Razor Sharp Finish

Now we know this is not a necessity but we’re a sucker for the lawn having a nice sharp finish. A lawn edger is the perfect answer to a perfect edge, we have the Flymo Contour 500E, and the Flymo Contour Cordless XT battery grass trim and edger not only will they give you this finish you desire, but also trim the lawn edges too. Of course this finish can also be achieved by hand with a Draper lawn edger.  

Fertilising

Spring is the time of year when you should be fertilising to ensure you get the best looking lawn around. So get out the manure and get spreading!  

Where to Put Garden Waste…

Put all garden waste to good use with a shredder / chipper, these can be used as a base layer for the compost heap – well they can be used anywhere in a compost heap really! If you’re wondering how to start, or wondering if you’re doing the right thing with your compost pile, then check out our blog for more information!   For tips on the patio check out our next blog.