Maintenance Tasks To Maximize Enjoyment In Your Backyard

Many of us dream of bright, hazy, warm days when we can bask in the sunshine and relax in our backyards. Sadly, to get our gardens ready for long, lazy days, we have to invest time and energy in outdoor maintenance. The good news is that keeping on top of jobs and tackling essential tasks can save you time, effort, and money down the line. In this guide, we’ll outline some basic tasks to help you maximize enjoyment in your outdoor space.

Decluttering, tidying, and cleaning

Many of us embark upon a mission to clean our homes when warmer climes arrive, but it’s also important to keep your garden tidy. During the fall and winter months, it’s common for dirt, debris, and leaves to gather, blocking pathways and covering patios, decks, and terraces. Decluttering, tidying, and cleaning are simple tasks that can make a big difference to the look of your backyard. They are also important for safety reasons. Dead leaves, mud, and obstacles on pathways can be slippery and increase the risk of trips and falls.

The best thing to do if your yard is cluttered or covered in leaves or trash is to arm yourself with a large bag, throw away any rubbish, and use a leaf blower to create organized piles of leaves. You can jetwash or scrub pathways and patios by hand or use a mop, depending on the size of the area and the depth of the dirt. Alternatively, if you’re short on time or you’d prefer to pass this task on, you could hire a local maintenance firm.

Once you’ve tackled mud, dust, dirt, and dead leaves, you can turn your attention to cleaning. Jetwashing is great for paving, patios, and paths. If you’ve got outdoor tables or structures like metal containers or chairs, you can use warm, soapy water to get a sparkling finish.

Pruning and cutting

Pruning, cutting, and trimming are important for encouraging new growth if you have plants, flowers, and trees in your garden. You can use a battery chainsaw to remove decayed or damaged branches or cut small trees. Secateurs are best suited to dead-heading flowers and removing dead leaves from smaller trees and plants. It’s important to get rid of dead leaves, fruit, flowers, and branches to reduce the risk of disease spreading, promote healthy regrowth, and lower the risk of garden pests. You can also use pruning as a means of enhancing the aesthetics of your garden by shaping trees, hedges, and bushes.

If you’re not an experienced gardener, you can find tips, guides, and video tutorials to help with trimming trees and flowers online. You could also hire a local gardening company. It’s crucial to avoid tackling any tasks that involve large trees and heavy branches or working at height. If you’re thinking about cutting back a substantial tree in your garden, enlist professional help.

Lawn care and upkeep

Nothing sets off a beautiful, vibrant garden like a lush, vivid green lawn. If you’re lucky enough to have grass in your yard, it’s beneficial to invest in lawn maintenance. Tasks include watering, tending to dry patches, sowing seeds for growth, using fertilizer, cutting the grass, and weeding. During the cooler, wetter parts of the year, avoid mowing the lawn and watering your grass, keep the surface clear of leaves and snow, and try to keep off the grass as much as possible. When temperatures rise and the grass dries, you can start watering if the soil is dry, and removing weeds. Once the grass is growing quickly, mow it regularly. Always choose a dry day and make sure you get an even finish. You can use trimming tools to target the edges.

If you’re too busy to take care of your lawn, there are various options you could explore. You could swap grass for artificial turf for a low-maintenance garden, find a local gardener or gardening company, or invest in a robotic lawn mower. Robot mowers cut your grass for you, allowing you to scratch that job off your to-do list and make time for other tasks or activities.

Weatherproofing

Many of us love spending time in our gardens, but we’re limited by the weather. If you’re keen to use your yard more, weatherproofing can make a big difference. Examples include using varnishes and specialist paint products to protect woodwork and structures like gazebos and summerhouses, adding awnings or covers to create usable spaces during the colder, wetter months, and using fire pits and soft furnishings to stay warm. Other ideas include adding a covered patio or garden room to enjoy indoor/outdoor living and using extra lighting.

Planting

Many of us are guilty of forgetting about plants and flowers during the winter when our yards tend to look drab and less vivacious and colorful. If you’d like your yard to look more appealing throughout the year, it’s a good idea to look for hardy plants and evergreens that can withstand adverse weather and bring vibrancy to the space. It’s also beneficial to think about what you want to grow or plant in advance. In many cases, you’ll need to sow seeds or plant bulbs months before you expect to see them bursting into life. You can check planting guides online or get advice from local garden stores or TV shows.

If you’re growing produce in your garden, you may need to think about relocating plants if you experience significant decreases in temperature or heavy rain and storms. You could move your plants into a greenhouse, use your conservatory, or invest in a mini smart garden.

Taking care of outdoor furniture

The last thing you want to do when the sunshine arrives and you’ve been looking forward to sinking into the sofa and enjoying a drink after work is to find that your chairs, tables, and couches are damaged or covered in dirt and dust. If you have outdoor furniture, it’s crucial to move it indoors or use robust, waterproof covers during the winter. When it’s time to bring out the garden furniture for spring/summer, you can take the covers off, wipe them down and use them immediately.

Most of us love spending time in our yards, but to maximize enjoyment, you have to invest in maintenance and upkeep. Basic tasks like cleaning and tidying, pruning trees and plants, taking care of your lawn, weatherproofing your garden, tending to plants, and relocating or covering outdoor furniture can help you create and make the most of a beautiful outdoor space.