4 gardening jobs to take care of this April

Now that spring is officially here, it's time to whip the garden into shape and start preparing for summer. April is an ideal month to tackle a variety of gardening tasks. With temperatures rising and evenings getting lighter by the day, you have more time to get out and tick things off the list. Not to mention, April is a great month for laying any new paving, so if you're thinking about getting your hands on some Indian sandstone paving for your garden, you're in luck; we have a beautiful variety for you to choose from here at Bridge Street Stone.

As with any large task, it's best to take care of what you can sooner rather than later. This can help you manage most of the heavy lifting before summer arrives so you can be out in the garden enjoying a BBQ - it always comes around quicker than you think! With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the tasks you can be cracking on with.

Spring cleaning

The first course of action for getting your garden into shape is a bit of good old-fashioned spring cleaning. Everyone's garden is different and will need varying degrees of cleaning; the best place to start is always by writing a list. Write yourself a list of all the things you need to tackle; begin with the biggest and work your way down. If your paving stones need some love, the first course of action would be to clear any debris out of the way with a soft-bristled brush and give them a good scrub. Or, if you're laying new paving stones like Indian sandstone paving, take care of that before moving on to any other tasks.

Pick up your paintbrush

Once you’ve got your paving looking sparkly and new, it’s time to turn your attention to the perimeter of your garden. If any of your fence panels or decking boards are looking worse for wear, now is the time to patch them up. Since the worst of the winter weather is behind us, it’s the perfect time to get them back into shape by fixing any boards that may have split or by patching up any holes ready for use again. If your fencing and decking are otherwise fine, they might just need a good clean and a fresh lick of paint or seal to restore them to their former glory. If you’re painting, staining or sealing, make sure you have a lovely, mild few days without any rain forecast to get the job done! Once you've tackled the last of the bigger jobs, you can turn your attention to your plant beds and lawn.

Prepare your plant beds

If you're planning on planting some bulbs or seeds, it's essential to pay some attention to your soil. You can grow anything in last year's soil without giving it some love first. So start by removing any pesky weeds that have made their homes in your plant beds, and then break up and turn over your soil. Discard any large stones or matter that shouldn't be there, and finally, add in some compost; this could be shop-bought or any you've been collecting and storing over winter. Then, you should have some beautiful soil ready for planting!

Time to sow and grow

Now that everything is taking shape, it's finally time to start planting your seeds and bulbs. Many summer flowers need to be planted in the spring to reach full bloom by July and August, so there's no better time than the present! Remember to take into consideration what you are going to plant. You don't want all of your flowers to bloom at once, especially before the summer ends. It's always best to stagger your blooms so you have a garden full of varied life all summer long. So, if you're looking for some inspiration on what to plant to get you started, here's a bunch of summer-blooming plants you can start planting right away:

• Sunflowers
• Sweet peas
• Poppies
• Cosmos
• Petunias
• Marigolds
• Cornflowers
• Lavender

And that's all there is to it; if you get started on your garden prep this month, you'll have beautiful flowers all summer long and some lovely new Indian sandstone paving to admire them from!

At Bridge Street Stone, we offer our Indian sandstone in a wide variety of stunning shades, including Kota Black, Kandla Grey, Autumn Brown, and Golden Leaf. Our stones are imported straight from ethically operated quarries in India, so if you're looking to give your patio the perfect upgrade this spring, give us a call today at 01282 860571. We're always happy to help!