3 essential spring garden jobs

We’re looking out of the window. The daffs are coming into flower in a froth of sunshine yellows, oranges, creams and whites. The tulips are poking their pretty heads up, each young flower bud held safe inside a furl of leaf. The snowdrops are dying back fast and it’s still light at six o’clock.

Can you feel spring happening out there? Here are the top three essential spring garden jobs to prepare your space for another season of garden entertainment.

Get the party started with these spring garden jobs

Your garden furniture

First, your rattan-effect resin garden furniture. Give it a gentle clean with a soft cloth then wash it carefully with warm water and a mild detergent like washing up liquid. This’ll take off the dust, dirt, bird poo and whatever else has landed on it over the winter. Get the cushions out of storage, giving the covers a wash if there’s any mould or muck.

Next grab a cuppa, stand back and examine the space. Think about last year. If it wasn’t comfy enough, was awkward to move around or left some people isolated from the main crowd, change the way it’s arranged. If that isn’t going to work, you can add more furniture. It’s good to know we sell single garden chairs so you can buy just the one extra seat or as many as you need.

You might need to start from scratch with a new suite to meet your needs better. We’re into recycling, re-using and re-purposing, so here are some ideas about what to do with an old garden furniture set:

• Give it to friends, family, a colleague or neighbour
• Get a charity shop to collect it to re-sell
• Use it in your conservatory or elsewhere in the house – our garden furnishings are lovely enough to use indoors
• Set up a second chill space in the garden where it’ll go perfectly
• Let the kids use it for their own garden fun area

Spring garden jobs – Make the space safe to party

Winter comes with algae, slime, soil, dust and dead leaves, all of which can gather and stick to make a patio a dodgy place, all black and slippery and nasty to look at. It’s especially common when the patio faces north or east. Take the DIY route and clean the patio with a stiff-bristled yard brush and hot soapy water, or use a power-washer if you don’t need quite so much exercise 😉

Then, grab another cuppa and have another think. How safe – or otherwise – were your gatherings last year? Did rampaging kids and over-excited pets almost knock the BBQ over? Did a drunk friend topple over something? Was it all a bit of a squeeze, involving constant dodgy musical chairs? If so, find a layout that’s safer.

If you can make more space for people to move around the BBQ, garden chairs, dining table and so on, it’s a good move. Maybe you could position the barbie so it’s against a wall so the little ones can’t run around it.

Think comfort to create perfect occasions

Have a third cuppa while you consider the third in our list of spring garden jobs. Is there anything missing? Did some of your guests freeze their bits off in the shade while others burned in the searing sunshine? Were some left standing? Was it difficult to eat because the table’s too small? Is it time to get your garden shade and shelter in order?

It might be as simple as rearranging the furniture, BBQ, patio heaters and whatnot more creatively to keep everyone more comfortable and make moving around easier. If it’s a hot-spot, add a garden umbrella. If there are sneaky draughts in one area, provide shelter or keep a pile of fleece blankets handy.

We’ve got everything you need to make this spring awesome. Explore our store for lots of beautiful ideas. And come back for more fresh ideas about garden entertaining.