Ahead of the start of Spring on March 20, there are lots of valuable hacks you can try to ensure your garden is ready for the new season!

Winter is drawing to a close, the weather is hopefully starting to warm up, and everything outdoors is anticipating the start of an exciting growth period through March and April.

The experts at GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk have identified some of the top things people can do to ensure their outdoor space is in tip-top shape.

A spokesman for GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk said: “Spring is a very active season in the garden, and it is a good idea to plan and capitalise on things before the end of winter.

“People will also be keen to get back outdoors when so much has hibernated, to help kickstart growth, so it is an enjoyable time – and a little planning can pay dividends for the best results later in the year.”

Here are some of the top tips from GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk to get you on the right path for Spring:

Assess your soil: Gardeners say it is an excellent idea to analyse the ground in your garden every few years to track how nutrient-rich it is and what it may need to perform at optimum levels. You may discover that your soil is high in alkaline so you could benefit from aluminium sulphate. Not to leave it there, also prepare your soil with a top layer of compost and humus as plants begin to germinate.

Spring patrol: Visually assess what has happened in the garden over the winter months and log it down to understand the scale of jobs ahead. Has there been cold and ice damage to plants, do beds need weeding out, has high winds caused damage to fencing?

Spring clean: Keeping your garden beds healthy will keep disease and pests at bay. It’s a good idea to clean any plant debris from the garden beds, such as leaves and branches, and any old plants which are not required for the new season for a clear and fresh start for the new growing season.

Seek out support: Stakes, trellises and wooden gardening frames may have been stored away for safekeeping in the winter, so it is good to get them back out and placed to support plants for springtime.

Prune carefully: Do not prune everything! Remove deadwood and anything damaged by the winter weather, and shear back evergreens such as boxwood. However, don’t prune early flowering shrubs or plants that bloom on old wood such as ninebark and lilac, as you don’t want to lose the current year’s flower buds, even though they might not yet be visible.

These are just some handy hints to give you a head start in the garden as we head towards springtime. If cold weather emerges in the coming weeks, cover-up plants with emerging buds and foliage with towels or old sheets, but not if buds have not begun to open.