5 tips to get your garden summer ready

When the weather warms up, we immediately want to get out into our gardens and spend some time in the sun for BBQs, family picnics and gatherings lasting long into the evening.

But before we do this, we need to make sure our gardens are summer ready. So, here are our five top tips on how to do just that.

• Tackle your lawn

Getting the lawn in order may be a tedious job but nothing says summer more than the smell of a freshly mowed and clipped lawn. It’s also the perfect time to get your borders looking refined by cutting into and concentrating on the edges. Don’t forget to remove any weeds in your borders and turn over the soil for a cleaner and more maintained look.

This can be a job for the whole family, so recruit some extra little hands to help!

• Clean everything

There’s nothing worse than going to cook on your BBQ for the first time and it’s covered in year old dirt and grease. Grab a wire brush to thoroughly clean the grill and metal racks, washing it with hot soapy water.

Make sure to give your patio and decking a good clean, by sweeping and washing away all the accumulated dirt from over the winter with soapy water or a pressure washer on a low setting. This will ensure your garden looks brighter and much more welcoming to guests.

You might want to give your garden tools and equipment a once over too, as they have most likely been packed away over the winter months. Scrape away any mud or soil and hose them down or, alternatively, you can soak the tools in warm soapy water.

• Add a little décor

If you want to spruce up your outside areas, hanging baskets are the perfect way to add a pop of colour and texture. Hanging from a fence or on the side of your home, even the smallest of baskets can bring some life into your garden.

You may also want to add a little night-time light into your garden, and the best way to do this is solar lighting. Adding character and charm, solar lights allow you and your guests to enjoy your garden well into the evening. Hanging lights, lanterns, stake lights or even light-up ornaments can all add depth to your garden.

• Paint your fence

The winter months have seen some extreme weather, so the conditions may have been detrimental to your fences. Before summer arrives, you may want to add a lick of paint to your fences to give it a revitalised look. So, grab the family and source out your paint brushes.

• Be wildlife ready

Do your part for the eco system and welcome wildlife to your garden. A healthy garden should have a variety of plants to attract bees and butterflies, a pond or water feature to invite in frogs, birds and dragonflies and bird feeders and baths to help our winged friends.

Whether your garden is big or small, there are lots of small tweaks your family can make to ensure your local wildlife has a better home.