A Gentle Start to the Gardening Year

After months of grey skies and soggy borders, late winter finally gives us a little breathing space — that moment when you step outside, notice the light stretching a bit further each evening, and think, Right then… where do I even begin? If your garden feels a touch wild after its winter break, don’t worry. A few simple jobs now will set you up beautifully for the season ahead.

Give the lawn a quick spruce

With our increasingly mild winters, lawns rarely stop growing completely. By February they often look a bit woolly around the edges. You don’t need to go all‑in with the mower just yet — simply re‑cutting the edges gives an instant lift. Then, if the ground isn’t too wet, run the mower over on its highest setting. It’s amazing how much tidier everything feels with just those two steps.

Weed, mulch, and add a little structure

This is a brilliant moment to get ahead of the weeds before they really wake up. Dig out any perennial offenders, then spread a generous 5cm layer of mulch over your borders. It keeps moisture in, feeds the soil, and makes the whole garden look cared for.

While you’re there, weave in some twiggy supports — birch, hazel, anything natural and

branchy. Pop them around plants that tend to flop or need something to grow through. It’s a tiny job now that saves a lot of faffing later.

Order your summer bulbs

If you haven’t sorted your summer‑flowering bulbs yet, there’s still time. Dahlias, gladioli and nerines are brilliant for adding drama and colour with very little effort.

A few favourites worth trying:

• Dahlia ‘Thomas A. Edison’ — rich, velvety purple

• Gladiolus murielae — elegant, scented, and surprisingly easy

• Dahlia ‘Roxy’ and ‘Art Deco’ — compact, perfect for pots or smaller gardens

If you’re new to dahlias or just want a bit of inspiration, the Sarah Raven website has a fantastic range of varieties and curated collections, plus really clear, practical advice on how to grow them. Sarah's guide on planting and caring for dahlias is especially helpful: https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/how-to-plant-and-grow-dahlias

Kick‑start the veg patch

If you’re itching to grow your own this year, now is the perfect time to start with something simple and satisfying: first‑early potatoes in bags. Late February into March is ideal for planting them, and bags warm up faster than open ground, giving you a head start. Add 10cm of compost, pop in your chitted potatoes, cover with another 10cm, and water. As the shoots reach about 8cm, keep “earthing up” with more compost and roll the bag higher. With a bit of luck, you’ll be harvesting by June.

For quicker rewards, sow a heat‑tolerant salad mix in pots by the back door. Mustard, mizuna, tatsoi and pak choi can all be sown from February onwards, and they’re perfectly happy to germinate in cooler conditions. They grow fast, too — you’ll be snipping your first cut‑and‑come‑again leaves in just a few weeks.

A small start goes a long way

A handful of gentle, achievable tasks like these can shake off the winter cobwebs, top up your Vitamin D, and get you excited for the gardening year ahead.