New blog on how to prepare your garden for spring from our friend, and guest contributor, the award winning Ron Smith & Co.
Helping you to get your garden spring-ready before the season begins. Late winter is ideal for servicing machinery, cleaning the greenhouse, repotting dormant trees, and sowing seeds under cover. Explore our full list of February gardening jobs here and set yourself up for a healthier, more productive season.
Prepare Your Garden for Spring
The days are stretching out, the air feels a touch softer, and there’s a real sense that winter is starting to loosen its grip. If you’ve been itching to get back into the garden, you don’t need to wait for ‘official’ spring to arrive. There are plenty of worthwhile jobs you can do over the coming weeks to set yourself up for a brilliant season ahead.
In this guide, we’ll reveal ten practical ways to prepare your garden for spring. Some will give you an immediate lift, while others quietly lay the foundations for healthier plants, stronger growth, and fewer problems further on down the line. So, if you’re ready to start preparing your garden for spring, let’s get stuck in…
1) Book a Machinery Service and Sharpen Your Tools
Before the garden fully wakes up, it’s well worth giving your kit some attention. Having it serviced at a local garden machinery service centre can optimise performance, improve reliability, and help extend its lifespan. In many cases, keeping proof of annual servicing may also extend the product’s warranty, which is a welcome bonus.
It’s also a great time to clean and sharpen your hand tools. A sharp blade cuts cleaner and reduces stress on plants, while clean tools help lower the risk of spreading disease. Use hot water and detergent to wash them down, sharpen the cutting edges, then apply a little oil afterwards to reduce friction and prevent corrosion. (STIHL Sharpening Stone & Whetstone | Ron Smith)
2) Give Your Greenhouse a Proper Clean-Out
A bright, clean greenhouse makes a huge difference once you begin raising young plants. With the right approach, you can use a pressure washer to clean it. Start by washing the glazing with lukewarm water and a mild detergent to improve light transmission. (Find the Best Pressure Washers & Jet Washers Online)
Inside, remove moss, algae, and grime, as these can harbour pests that carry disease. Sweep the floor, clean spare pots, and aim for a full refresh so your greenhouse becomes a healthier, more productive growing space. Once you’re finished, open the door and vents to air it properly.
3) Start Sowing Seeds Under Cover
Even if it still feels early, you can absolutely begin sowing seeds now—as long as they’re kept undercover. Starting early gives you a longer growing season and can lead to stronger plants and better yields later on.
Peppers, petunias, and many other favourites can be started in trays on a sunny windowsill. Keep the compost moist without soaking it, and rotate the trays occasionally so seedlings don’t lean towards the light. When the risk of frost has passed, you can start moving plants outside.
If you want to take things further, a heated propagator and grow lamp can help you sow seeds early outdoors too.
4) Prepare Flower Beds and Borders for New Growth
Flowerbeds can look a little tired after winter, but a quick tidy-up makes a world of difference. Begin by clearing away fallen leaves and debris, as these can shelter pests and contribute to disease. A leaf blower makes this job so much easier, particularly if it’s a cordless model.
If you don’t already own one, your local garden machinery dealer is sure to stock models suited to your budget and needs.
Remove weeds by the roots so they don’t come straight back, and cut back herbaceous perennials. As long as the material isn’t diseased, it can go into the compost bin. After that, turn the soil and apply a generous layer of mulch. This helps lock in moisture and is ideal garden soil preparation for spring, when conditions turn warmer and drier.
5) Buy (or Build) a Compost Bin
A composter is a must for any garden. While you can buy them readymade, building one yourself makes a great weekend project. You can start filling it straight away with vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, and paper-based materials. Then, as the season picks up, you can add grass cuttings and other organic garden waste too.
When the contents break down, they produce key nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium—which improve soil quality and support healthy plant growth. What’s more, composting reduces what you send to landfill and helps lower your carbon footprint.
6) Divide Snowdrops After Flowering
Snowdrops tend to finish flowering in February or March. Once this happens, you can lift and divide them to create a bigger display for next year.
Pick a day when the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. Use a spade to lift the clumps carefully, making sure you don’t push it too close to the bulbs. Once the clump is out, gently tease it apart by hand. Keep the leaves on, remove weeds and any damaged bulbs, then replant the smaller groups around the garden.
It’s a simple job, and the payoff next spring is completely free.
7) Prune Winter-Flowering Shrubs and Dormant Plants
Winter-flowering shrubs and deciduous plants are usually best pruned in late February. The latter benefit from a tidy while they’re still dormant, as they suffer less stress and heal more quickly. The colder weather also means fewer pests are active, which helps reduce the risk of disease.
With little or no foliage, it’s easier to spot crossing stems and damaged growth that should be removed. Plants commonly pruned at this time of year include rose bushes, dogwood, buddleias, and hydrangeas. With hydrangeas in particular, pruning as winter draws to a close can help prevent new buds being exposed to long spells of frost.
We can’t emphasise enough the importance of owning a good pair of pruners. Why not treat yourself to some. (STIHL GTA 26 Cordless Pruner: Powerful & Ergonomic)
8) Repot Deciduous Trees While They’re Dormant
If you’ve got deciduous trees that have outgrown their containers, now is a good moment to move them on—while they’re still dormant. The day before you repot, water the soil around the tree so the roots are moist. This helps reduce stress for it during the move.
If you’re potting the tree up, choose a new container that’s no more than a third larger than the current one to avoid the problems associated with overpotting. If you’re planting into the ground instead, dig the hole in advance so the tree can go straight in. And if the soil is frozen or waterlogged, you should sit tight and wait for better conditions.
9) Check Fences, Sheds, and Other Outdoor Structures
It’s tempting to assume the worst weather is behind us, but March can still bring snow and strong winds. A quick inspection of garden structures now can help prevent bigger repair bills further on down the line.
Take a close look at sheds, greenhouses, and any other garden buildings, but pay special attention to your fencing, as it’s often the most vulnerable. Replace or repair panels with missing or damaged slats, check posts for wear or decay, and make sure everything is secured firmly in the ground.
A simple walkaround inspection could save you a lot of hassle if conditions suddenly take a turn for the worse in the next few weeks.
10) Prepare Your Mower for the Lawn’s First Cut of the Year
Grass is usually one of the first things to start growing again as temperatures rise. By mid-March, many lawns are ready for their first mow. The best approach is to wait until the grass is around three inches tall and you’ve had a few dry days. That reduces the risk of scalping the lawn or compacting the soil.
For this first cut, keep it gentle. Put your mower on its highest setting and aim to remove only around a third of the grass height. Taking too much off at once can stress the lawn and create problems later.
If you’re looking to upgrade your lawnmower this year, contact your local garden machinery dealer for expert advice.
Thanks again to dealer experts Ron Smith and Co, winner of our Garden Machinery Dealer of the Year 2025! For contributing their top tips to get your garden spring ready this season. If you’re based around the Hereford / Worcester area do contact their friendly experts for amazing service with a smile. You can contact them directly here (Contact us – Email | Phone | Live Chat).
