Quick makeovers for a Spring garden
Before spring there are a few tasks that can be done to increase the overall appearance and health of your outdoor area.
18/07/2019
Before the arrival of spring there are a few tasks that can be done to increase the overall appearance and health of your outdoor area. Grab your tools and supplies and head out into the garden to tackle some of these quick makeovers to refresh your garden and get it ready for spring.
Put a spring in your lawn
Over winter your lawn has died back, leaving a yellow thatch of dried, yellow grass that definitely doesn't inspire you for spring. This is when you need to grab a rake and remove as much as the dead thatch as possible, use a garden fork to loosen the hard layer on top of the soil, and pop into your Builders Warehouse or garden centre for a bag of organic fertilizer to kick off the spring growth and prepare the lawn for spring.
Your garden will thank you for any attention you give now, by providing a lush, green lawn where the kids can play or where you can sit and enjoy.
Clean hardscaping
If you own a pressure washer, this is the perfect tool for cleaning up any hard surfaces in the garden. You can use a pressure washer to remove build-up grime from paving, decks, patios and paving. Don't set the pressure washer on high, rather start on a low setting to loosen any build-up and you can always switch on to high for any stubborn areas that need to be cleaned.
If there are baked in grease or oil stains on your concrete driveway, a trip to your local Builders store will provide you with all the products you need to clean up these areas.
Giving your outdoor hardscaping a good clean in advance of spring will also show areas that need to be attended to. For example, I like to paint my concrete pavers with paving paint and have to apply this every 2 to 3 years for the pool surround to look good.
Revive your home exterior
If you haven't painted your home exterior for quite some years, chances are it is in need for a coat or two of paint to revive the finish and add curb appeal. While most exterior paints have a guarantee on their lifespan, there is still movement that causes cracks in walls and factors that may bring about peeling and cracking paint.
The best time to paint your home exterior is during the dry season, which means you should be considering this now. Whether you do-it-yourself or hire a professional painting company, it shouldn't be too expensive to revive the exterior of your home.
Add colour to beds and borders
Garden centres are soon to be filled and overflowing with spring flowers that will add vibrant colour to flower beds and borders, hanging baskets and arrangements of containers and pots. Before planting, clean up beds and dig them over, adding organic compost to boost the growth of your new plantings.
You can also use this time to remove any dead plants, cut off dead twigs and generally spruce up garden beds and borders for a new season.
Refresh a garden fence (or paint a wall)
Paint or stain and sealer not only extends the life of a wall or garden fence, it also provides the perfect backdrop for your spring garden. If you apply creosote or tinted exterior to a garden fence it will protect the timber from our sometimes harsh rains and also look good.
Giving a wall or fence a makeover is guaranteed to give your spring garden an instant facelift, and the darker the colour or stain the better since dark colour fades into the background and lets your spring flowers take the spotlight.
Revitalise outdoor furniture
Unless you are specifically letting your outdoor furniture rust or fade, just before spring is the ideal time to revitalise outdoor furniture, whether it is steel or wrought iron, wood or wicker. Revitalising outdoor furniture is extremely important as it will extend the lifespan of the furniture by protecting it from the elements.
You local Builders Warehouse stocks a variety of products for all types of furniture and you will simply follow the manufacturer's instructions for correct application.