Gardening is an incredibly popular and rewarding pastime. Many people take it up because they want to improve their outdoor area, but the benefits extend well beyond your green space, and spending time gardening is proven to aid both physical and mental health and wellbeing. Perhaps that’s why around half of UK adults count gardening as one of their favourite hobbies. 

As we leave winter behind, many of us will be hoping to spend more time enjoying our gardens. However, creating an inviting and well-looked-after outdoor space takes hard work and careful planning.

To help you get ahead this spring, the team at Covers has put together a month-by-month checklist of garden jobs for the year. Happy gardening!

March

Garden jobs really start to kick off in March, and it’s the month to start mulching and sowing.

• Remove weeds, and mulch beds with bark chippings.
• Sow half-hardy annual seeds, vegetables and salad such as courgettes, celery, cucumber and tomatoes inside or in a greenhouse until all risk of frost has passed
• Sow hardy annuals straight into outdoor pots or beds, including sunflowers, sweet peas, wildflowers and summer flowering bulbs
• Pot your perennial cuttings
• Plant bare-root trees, shrubs and roses 
• Start tending to your lawn, and begin mowing if the ground is dry. We recommend the Mountfield HP414 Petrol Lawnmover.

April

April’s weather is often unpredictable, so make the most of sunny days to get your jobs done, and enjoy any rain while you can - you don't yet need to water every day! 

• Tend to your early spring bulbs and deadhead flowerheads - but leave the wilting foliage as this provides vital food for your bulbs
• Climbers flourish at this time of year, so extend your trellis, wire arches and tripods as needed and encourage shoots sideways
• Sharpen your mower blades and ensure everything is in good working order ready for the regular mowing that will be needed in the coming months. If you aren’t into mowing, why not invest in some high-quality artificial grass?

May 

May is the month when your garden really blooms into life, and the time to start preparing for high summer.

• Plant summer bedding plants in containers and borders
• Prune spring shrubs that have finished flowering - you can also prune evergreen shrubs in preparation for new growth. For evergreen hedges try the Mountfield pruner and hedge trimmer.
• Plant out your young vegetables - make sure you harden them off first to acclimatise them to the transition from indoors to outdoors
• Protect from pests as temperatures heat up – you can use traditional pest control products, or consider using natural nematodes to control vine weevils. Put netting around soft fruit bushes and straw around strawberry plants

June

British summer time begins at the end of June, and your plants will require consistent care with regular watering, pruning and feeding.

• Roses are in full bloom, so look after them by tackling aphids and back spot as soon as you notice them, and regularly pruning faded flower heads
• Lots of weeding is necessary, to prevent weeds from taking vital moisture and nutrients from the soil, try using a daisy grubber to make this job easier
• Support tall growing plants by staking them, or gently tying them to walls and fences
• Water plants every day in dry weather and feed your perennials every week

July

Plants are vigorously growing and flowering in July, so this month is all about managing the growth.

• Vigilant weeding, deadheading and pruning is needed to manage old growth and encourage new flowers
• As the days get hotter, regular watering in the mornings or evenings will be required, installing a water butt is a great way to make watering your garden more environmentally friendly
• Add liquid feed to borders, containers and hanging baskets once a week

August

August is a transitional month, so enjoy the last of summer and start getting ready for the harvest time and autumn. 

• Again, a regular watering routine will be vital in this hot summer month - ask neighbours to help out if you are going on holiday, and offer to reciprocate 
• Take care of your lawn, if you’re worried about brown patches, try using a lawn feed
• The dry summer months are ideal for any painting, treatment and maintenance jobs required on sheds, fences, arbours and garden furniture
• Towards the end of the month, many summer plants will begin to finish flowering and fall back, so your garden will need some tidying to get ready for Autumn

September 

Time to enjoy the fruits of your labour and begin your autumn jobs.

• Harvest your hard-earned vegetables
• Pick the last of your raspberries and blackberries
• Collect seeds from your summer flowering plants 
• Divide you summer perennials and take cuttings 
• Give your hedges a final trim before winter

October 

Enjoy the last of the harvest and start getting ready for winter.

• Pick apples, pears and plums from your fruit trees
• Move tender plants into a greenhouse to protect them towards the end of the month
• Raise terracotta pots with bricks or feet to avoid them sitting in water over winter
• Plant your spring bulbs (but wait until November to plant tulips)
• Time to get out your rake and wheelbarrow to tidy fallen leaves from beds, lawns and paths and set them aside to compost

November 

The autumn months are busy for any gardener, so make the most of dry days to make your tasks more pleasant.

• Plant any trees and large shrubs, as well as tulip bulbs
• Cover wooden furniture (try out our handy Cube Cover) or move it to a garage or shed
• Stake any trees and shrubs that are over 1m tall to prevent them falling on windy days
• Dig over your vegetable patch, leaving the soil in large clumps - they will be broken down naturally by the winter weather
• Continue clearing leaves and adding them to your compost bin

December

This month is all about protecting both plants and wildlife as winter sets in.

• Top up your bird feeders and make fresh water available - especially when there has been a hard frost
• Protect tender plants by covering them with a horticultural fleece (plastic sheeting can cause plants to rot)
• If you want to create a colourful display for the dark winter months, plant any empty containers with evergreens such as ivy, or winter-flowering like winter heathers, pansies and cyclamen

January

A long cold month means you need to protect and maintain your plants.

• Brush snow from your evergreens to prevent branches from bowing and breaking – or try a wire snowguard like this one
• Keep topping up your bird feed and providing shallow bowls of water
• Leave a tennis ball to float in ponds and bird baths to stop them freezing over completely 
• Cut back perennials if they have fallen flat
• If your decking or paving has become slippery, scrub with a patio or deck cleaner
• Dig over your vegetable patch again to aerate the soil
• Check your stock of compost, plant feed, fertiliser and even tools, pots, paints and electrical equipment. This is a good time to replenish your supplies and make sure you have everything you need for the coming year (and take advantage of the January sales)

February

Time to start preparing for spring - if weather conditions permit. 

• Deadhead grasses and bedding plants ready for new shoots to emerge
• Prune hedges if you didn’t do them in the autumn
• If frost has lifted any new plants, gently re-firm the soil around them, adding topsoil as needed
• You can also plant bare-root shrubs this month if the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged
• Stock up on all the seeds you need ready for planting in the spring 
• And finally… get ready to do it all again!