We are slowly moving out of the colder weather and Spring is almost on the horizon, much to the delight of many gardeners across the country.

For many businesses and some larger domestic properties looking after the landscape can be a difficult task and using a Grounds Maintenance Gloucestershire company is a better option. These professionals can help tidy your grounds space following the winter and prepare any areas ready for late Spring and Summer planting.

Here are some tasks that you can set for the grounds company ready for the Spring weather:

• Checking the area after Winter. Following on from winter you can find that there is something cleaning up and damage control to do. This could include clearing away any leaves that have been blown into flower beds and lawn areas, weather damage to any hard landscaping areas, frost damage to plants and any ground damage from burrowing animals.
• Repairing any damage to the hard landscape areas is the best place to start in early Spring so that during the warmer weather you can concentrate your time on growing your seeds, managing any seedlings and enjoying your flowers in full bloom. You may also want to give any wooden fences a fresh coat of wood stain.
• If you haven’t tested your soil in the last few years now is a good time to check the pH levels and nutrient levels of your soil. This should really be carried out once every 3 to 5 years. Knowing your soil type and quality can not only help you in identifying the plants that will grow best but also ways in which you can improve the soil quality and nutrients that you may want to add.
• If you know your soil really well or have just tested it you can start feeding is based on its specific requirements. Adding organic matter and slow release plant food will help to give your plants the best start of the year.

• Early Spring is the best time of year to start pruning some of your plants, especially if they have been damaged by the winter weather. However, you should not prune any shrubs that flower on the old wood such as azaleas and lilac plants.
• Planting your spring flowers is one of the most exciting parts of this time of year. Although you will need the ground to warm up a bit before planting out your annuals you can be sowing the seeds in cloches and greenhouses as well as keeping them warm indoors. There are some plants that are happy being planted in the cooler ground temperature and these include pansies and osteospermum daisies.