Spring Garden Refresh: Expert Tips for Planting and Tidying Your Outdoor Space
With the first signs of spring emerging and a tantalising sense of sap rising, it is the perfect time to venture into your garden. If your outdoor space looks messy, do not despair. Modern wisdom encourages leaving gardens scruffy over winter to provide vital habitats for wildlife. This means you have been contributing to nature, even if unwittingly.
Time to Tidy and Plan for Growth
Now, however, it is time to tidy up dead leaves, straggly growth, and precocious weeds trying to get a head start. If 2026 is the year you aim to elevate your gardening skills—whether planning a new border or simply plugging gaps—consider buying new plants. We are here to assist with expert guidance.
Top Recommendations for Spring Planting
Spring calls for sowing, pruning, chopping, and dividing. Whether you seek beautiful perennials, disease-defeating roses, heritage fruit and vegetables, or a statement tree, our guide demystifies online plant shopping. It covers everything from seeds to bare-root shrubs and rounds up trusted online nurseries favoured by experts.
The guide also offers simple advice on when and how to plant new purchases, plus tips for keeping them alive and thriving through the critical first year. Additionally, we consulted professional gardeners about their rated equipment and clothing.
Essential Gardening Tools and Clothing
Professionals shared their favourite tools and maintenance tips, including lightweight hedge trimmers, supreme secateurs, and the Japanese hori hori soil knife beloved by knowledgeable gardeners. They also recommended warm, comfortable gardening clothes to protect against soggy knees and unpredictable weather.
If rain persists as you read this, consider easing into the growing season by following gardener and writer Andrew Timothy O'Brien's advice: simply stand and stare in anticipation of spring's arrival.
Celebrating Spring with Free and Affordable Activities
It is hard not to feel cheerful in the first rays of spring sunshine. We have gathered 63 ways to celebrate the start of spring, many of them free, from trying a new sport to feeding birds and foraging for dinner. For a wardrobe refresh, our fashion team has rounded up 50 best women's spring style updates for less than £100.
Additional Insights and Community Engagement
This week, we updated our test of the best pillows with information on how often they should be changed—more frequently than many think. This follows recent revelations about underwear expiry dates. We also explore creative ways to give old products a second life, such as using pillow stuffing for planters or repurposing toothbrush heads for cleaning.
Share your ideas by replying to this newsletter or emailing us. Embrace the change of seasons and refresh your garden with confidence and expert support.
