10 steps to get your garden spring ready

"Spring is such a beautiful time of the year," says landscaper Nicholas Spargo of Spargo Landscape Consultants. "Blossoms are coming out and the trees are bursting with their lush new leaves and pollen heads all getting ready for the new season."

And, just like your plants are gearing up for spring, so too should you. 

Spargo suggests you add these 10 tasks to your 'to-do' list to get your garden ready for the growing season:

1. Scarify your lawns to get rid of a thatch build up. Top with lawn dressing.

2. Compost your flowerbeds and be sure to include an organic slow-release fertiliser as well.

3. Take a walk around your garden, and look for sections that need work. If you live in a summer rainfall area, aim to get all painting and repairs to roofs, gutters and walls done before the rains come.

4. Install an irrigation system or repair any damage to old existing systems.

5. Install a rainwater harvesting tank with booster pump (get it installed in such a way that it can be used for irrigation as well as your toilets).

6. Get a tree specialist in to look at your trees, it’s a good thing to crown trees slightly and prune them to get rid of dead and unhealthy branches.

7. Get a plumber in to clear your drains of roots.

8. Clean out your gutters.

9. Now is a great time to do a changeover from winter to spring and summer seedlings.

10. Start planning your summer garden. Try to add more indigenous plants to help with the low rainfall we have been receiving. Get a qualified landscape designer to help you plan your outdoor living spaces.