How To Tackle Your Garden Spring Clean Like A Pro

*This is a collaborative post.

Spring’s here. The sun’s peeking out, the birds are getting louder, and your garden? Well, it looks like it’s been in hibernation for months. Dead leaves, tangled branches, and weeds that have taken liberties. It’s overwhelming. Where do you even start? Here’s how to bring your garden back to life—without losing your sanity.

Plan Your Waste Strategy Before You Start

You think you’ll just clear as you go. Don’t. The amount of green waste you’ll create is bigger than you expect. Before you even touch those overgrown bushes, work out where it’s all going. Compost the soft stuff, bag up the stubborn bits, and if you’re dealing with a jungle, skip hire is your best friend. Nothing slows you down more than stopping every five minutes to figure out where to dump the mess.

Make Sure Your Tools Are Up For It

There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a job and realising your tools are blunt, broken, or missing. Get ahead of the chaos. Check your secateurs—do they still slice through with ease, or are they crushing stems like a bad haircut? Oil your shears. Test the lawnmower before you drag it across the garden, only to find it won’t start. A little prep saves a lot of swearing later.

Tackle Weeds And Overgrowth First

Rip them out at the root. That’s the rule. If you leave even a trace, they’ll laugh in your face and grow back twice as strong. Get your hands dirty. Feel the soil. Use a narrow weeding tool for the deep-rooted villains like dandelions. If it’s a full-blown invasion, cover the area with mulch. Less light means fewer weeds. Smart, right?

Timing Your Lawn’s First Mow

The first mow of the year? Big moment. But timing is everything. Too early, and you’ll stress the grass. Too late, and it’ll be a jungle. Wait until it’s dry. No moisture, no morning dew. And don’t hack it all down in one go—your lawn’s been through a lot. First cut? Keep it high. Let it breathe. Gradually lower the blade over the next few weeks. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Refresh Your Soil And Compost What You Can

Good soil is the secret to everything. You want plants to thrive? Start with the ground. Turn over the soil, let the air in, and mix in compost. Not all garden waste should go straight in the bin. Leaves, soft stems, dead plants—they all break down beautifully into rich compost. Keep the tough, woody stuff out, though. That stuff takes forever to rot, and you don’t have that kind of time.

Power Wash After The Mess Is Made

Here’s a mistake people make: they clean first. They blast the patio, scrub the decking, and then drag dirt all over it again. Wait. Do all the pruning, weeding, and digging first. Then—when everything’s looking tidy—grab the pressure washer and go to town. Blast away the grime from walls, fences, and paving slabs. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing years of dirt disappear in seconds.

Inspect And Repair Those Garden Structures

Fences wobbling? Shed looking rough? Don’t ignore it. Winter is brutal on wood, and now’s the time to fix things before they fall apart completely. Grab a screwdriver. Tighten what’s loose. Sand and repaint anything looking worse for wear. Small fixes now mean you won’t be replacing entire panels later. Future you will be grateful.

Set Up A Watering And Maintenance Routine

No one likes a high-maintenance garden. The secret? Make watering easy. Collect rainwater. Set up a drip irrigation system if you can. And mulch, mulch, mulch—it keeps moisture in and weeds out. Little things now will save you from a summer of endless watering and battling dry soil.

After the spring clean is all done, now you can sit back and have a cup of tea. Enjoy your space. But don’t get too comfortable—keep up with the small stuff. Ten minutes a day of deadheading, light weeding, and general tidying means you won’t have to do this all over again in a month. Gardens don’t stay perfect on their own.

Now, go grab those gloves. Your garden’s waiting.