Spring is an important season for every garden lover. It is then that we do a lot of work that affects the beauty of green areas. However, before sowing and planting plants, let's do a thorough cleaning.A beautiful garden is a showcase of its owners, who enjoy contact with nature. The fashion for creating home gardens came to us in the 90s from Germany and quickly gained many supporters. Interestingly, at the beginning these places were planted mainly with conifers, only after many years the Polish horticultural culture grew and the vegetation began to diversify.
The Kärcher sweeper can easily clean hard-to-reach places. Photo Kärcher
According to a report by the research company YouGov SixthSense, Poles have become avid gardeners. During the season, as many as seven out of ten garden owners work in them at least several times a week. Our country is dominated by small and medium-sized plots of an area not exceeding 500 m2. For most of us, they are primarily a place to rest and meet friends.
However, to enjoy the charm of a green backyard corner, you need to put a lot of work into its appropriate arrangement. Spring is the best time to clean up and prepare plants and trees for the summer season. It is worth starting this work in February, although it is not always possible due to the weather. Therefore, depending on the weather conditions, cleaning should be continued in March and April.
Trees, plants, lawns
If there are warmer days in February, then you can take care of the shrubs. Shortening their shoots will facilitate the branching of plants in the following months. It's also a good idea to trim old, overgrown tree shoots.
In March, when the snow melts, we have much more work to do. Before we start planting and sowing plants, we should thoroughly rake the lawns. Thanks to this treatment, we will stimulate the grass blades to grow faster, and at the same time we will get rid of the remnants of branches and leaves that remained here after autumn. If the weather is favorable, we can choose aeration, which consists in piercing the turf, e.g. with hand-made skewers or professional combustion aerators. Such activities will allow to aerate deep layers of soil, which will have a positive effect on the growth of grasses. Weeds should also be removed.
As part of the cultivation work, bulb plants are discovered, depriving them of winter cover, and damaged and diseased shoots are pruned. Also in the case of fruit trees, we must think about their appropriate pruning. It is worth starting with apple and pear trees, and when the buds appear on them, we will focus on peaches and nectarines.
In April, we are continuing the cleaning works, especially those that we were unable to complete in March. All plants should be freed from winter cover. If we grow roses in the garden, we should remove mounds from them and also trim damaged shoots. It is worth checking the condition of the grass again and possibly sowing more of it. Lawn scarification can also be performed to remove decay from the surface and facilitate the access of air and water to the plant roots. For small lawns, manual scarifiers are most often used, but in the case of large areas, the work is significantly facilitated by electric or petrol-powered tools.
Pavement in the garden
A beautiful garden is primarily eye-catching plants, shrubs and trees, but not only. Spring cleaning must not avoid driveways, paths and alleys. The method of our operation, tools and preparations used should depend on the type of cleaned surface.
For cobblestones, clinker or concrete, it is best to use a high-pressure water jet.When washing such surfaces, pressure washers and special chemical preparations work very well. The latter will be especially useful when the driveways or alleys are dirty with oil or when lime, white blooms appear on them.
The Kärcher sweeper is the way to clean climbs, paths and surfaces. Photo Kärcher
Gravel surfaces often require repairs in spring. Any depressions and cavities look unsightly, so it is worth getting rid of them. First of all, rake and level the gravel, and if it does not bring the desired results, add gravel, rake everything up again, and then roll it up.
All surfaces in the garden (also around the house) should be thoroughly cleaned. Nothing can destroy the aesthetic effect and obscure the beautiful view like dirty sidewalks and alleys. Sometimes a simple broom is enough to remove this dissonance.However, when we have to clean large surfaces frequently, let's think about improving the process. Hand sweepers such as the S550, S650 or S750 from Kärcher are invaluable in this case. Such devices significantly speed up cleaning, effectively clean alleys and driveways, collecting leaves, papers, caps, and even sand and gravel. It is also important that they do not create dust. It is worth adding that the pollutants are collected in a special container. Hand sweepers do quite well on various types of surfaces, especially in nooks and crannies.
Garden furniture and decorations
After the winter period, garden furniture (e.g. tables, benches, chairs) and gazebos usually require cleaning and maintenance. Depending on the materials they are made of, the methods of their restoration and the preparations used for this purpose will be different. However, in the case of plastic, wood and metal, it is best to start work by thoroughly washing the surface with water and a mild detergent.If the furniture is heavily soiled, the best solution is to use a pressure washer and a strong stream of water.
Wicker furniture is often used in gardens. These should be cleaned especially carefully, preferably with a very soft brush or cloth. It is better to avoid detergents and soap, because not only do they dry the material very much, but also often leave white marks on the surface of items. It is best to wash them with water and citric acid.
It is also worth cleaning and renewing grilles, supports, trellises and pergolas. If your garden has raw wood furniture, we can cover it with a colorless or colored protective oil.
The more cleaning works we do in early spring, the easier it will be to maintain order later, limiting ourselves to small activities. Remember that the sublime, delicate beauty of the garden landscape is created not only by plants and flowers, but also by elegant furniture and well-kept alleys. It all adds up to an aesthetic effect that can be proudly presented to your family and neighbors.The visual aspect increasingly dominates over the functional and utilitarian side of the backyards.
