Making sure your garden is well prepared for the year is time well spent – you can plan what new plants you want to invest in, whether any structural changes are on your wish list, and take time to get your soil condition in order and ensure that any raised beds, pots and baskets are ready for your annuals.
Our garden planner offers a checklist of jobs month by month – to get ready for the busy spring and summer season, and ensure that everything is done at the right time to put the garden to bed as the weather cools.
Download a PDF version of the planner here.
As well as taking care of any lawned areas which you have it’s important to plan ahead to get any bulbs in the ground at the right time and bring on more delicate plants under glass so that you don’t lose them if there’s a late cold snap. Take some time to think about colour, height and flowering seasons so that you enjoy blooms for as long as the weather allows. And don’t forget to add in some structure, so that things don’t look too bare in the autumn and winter months.
Our range of composts, barks and mulches will help you get the best out of your garden in 2025. We also stock high quality gardening tools, and gardening accessories like seed mats and biodegradable trays. Explore our range to help ensure you enjoy a successful gardening year!
Garden tasks by month
JANUARY
- CHECK – any fleece or plastic you put over plants and bulbs which are still in the ground
- PLAN – planting for the coming Spring/Summer season – think about height variations, colour matching, spring, summer and autumn flowering
- FINISH – construction of raised beds and borders
- PLANT – Daffodils and Tulips if the ground is soft enough
FEBRUARY
- CHECK – fleece, put plastic over empty beds and borders to prevent frost
- LAWN – Start to scarify, getting rid of thatch
MARCH
- MULCH – beds and borders with a product such as Earth Cycle COMPOST MULCH, ORNAMENTAL BARK or WOODLAND MULCH to help maintain surface temperature of the beds and borders
- REMOVE – fleece and plastic covers and tuck away for next winter
- SOW – any hardy annuals (such as Borage and Cornflowers), Sweet Peas, Wildflower mixes and half hardy options such as Cosmos and Zinnia
- UNDER GLASS SOWING – of fast-growing Perennials and Dahlias
- LAWN – if the grass is not too damp, start to mow no more than once a week, at the highest setting to start with. Reseed or over-seed if necessary.
APRIL
- MAINTENANCE – clean out ponds and water features, empty and clean water butts and rainwater collectors ready for the April showers
- PEST AND DISEASES – look out for early pests
- LAWN – begin seeding, scarifying and regular mowing at a shorter length
- CONTAINER DISPLAYS – pot up small plugs and put undercover for May
MAY
- LAWN – take advantage of the last chance to seed, and also edge the lawn
- CONTAINER DISPLAYS – put out summer displays once the chance for frost has passed
- FRUIT BUSHES – cover with netting to stop birds
JUNE
- PLANT – bedding plants
- TAKE CARE – as the temperature rises and the air becomes warmer, care should be taken with any new turfs delivered as they can dry out quickly
JULY & AUGUST
- TIE DOWN – make sure to secure climbing plants
- CUT BACK – perennials, hanging baskets (to encourage growth), geraniums and delphiniums
- DEAD HEAD – roses, sweet peas and bedding plants daily to keep them blooming
- NOTE – Pests will be everywhere now, so keep an eye out, especially under the leaves
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
- NET – add a net over ponds to stop leaves and debris clogging things up as they fall
- PLANT – spring flowering bulbs such as Daffodils, Crocuses and Tulips
- CLEAN OUT – give potting sheds and greenhouses a tidy ready for over-winter planting
- SCARIFY – give the lawn a good final scarify, getting rid of any thatch and debris
NOVEMBER
- INSULATE – tubs and pots using hessian or bubble wrap tied with twine
- FEED & WATER – support birds as the cold bites with specialist food and a bird bath
- CUT BACK – perennials and any bushes ready for the winter
DECEMBER
- DIG OVER – Empty beds and borders ready for next year
- GROUP – pots and containers together to help protect against harsh weather
- PRUNE – Wisteria, Climbing Roses and Maples (Acers)
- LIFT & STORE – Dahlia tubers
