February 1st, 2022 by Sarah Miles

As spring is over the horizon we may start to think about some deep cleaning for the house, but how about some garden cleaning and doing it now rather than waiting for spring? It may sound like an odd suggestion to clean up the garden in January while the weather is still cold and changeable but there are some real benefits:

• Hard surfaces get cumulatively dirtier and more contaminated by growths and organisms as time goes on. Regular removal will keep this in check. This makes them safer to walk over in wet and icy conditions and minimise long term damage
• Looking out onto a tidier, cleaner, brighter garden can be quite uplifting during the bleak winter months, even if we’re not spending a lot of time in it
• It’s great to get outdoors and do something practical in this post-Christmas period
• You can save yourself some time and work in the spring

How do you ‘clean’ your garden?

When we talk about cleaning the garden, we mean all the tasks that will make your garden seem brighter, neater, and fresher. It will look nicer, and it can even make you feel happier.

Here are a few things you can do right now that will get your winter garden looking neat as a pin.

Clean up hard surfaces

Hard surfaces such as patios, drives, paths, and decking don’t just get muddy, they can suffer the growth of things like green mould, algae, and black lichen. These growths look unsightly which is a big enough problem, but they can also eventually damage the surfaces and can exacerbate slippery conditions in wet and icy weather. These surfaces tend to make up large areas of our gardens so giving them a good once over makes a huge difference to the overall visual appeal of the garden.

If you have a pressure washer you can bring most surfaces up so they look good as new and it can actually be quite fun if you enjoy a power tool! In the absence of a pressure washer, mould and algae can be removed easily with just a watering can or garden sprayer by using a patio cleaner product. Our Simply Spray and Walk Away is really easy to use because it does exactly what it says on the label - to apply it, just spray it on and leave it to work! For tougher contamination such as black lichen, you will need a black spot remover as lichens are extra tough to remove. They’re made up of a fungus and a mould that combine in a symbiotic relationship, anchoring to the stone and feeding off the minerals within. Despite its more advanced formula, our Black Spot Remover is just as easy to use as a patio cleaner.

2 x 5L Pro-Kleen Simply Spray Green Mould and Algae Remover

Price: £24.95

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Tidy up the lawn

It’s still too early to start cutting the grass as most lawns will be too wet and there’s minimal growth at this time of year but there are still things you can do to get it looking neater. Start by clearing away leaves and debris that tend to accumulate on the lawn as these not only look messy but can starve the grass underneath of what little sunlight there is. You can use a rake or brush, but a leaf blower makes a much easier job of it, and most will collect the leaves up as well, which is half the job. If you choose one that mulches the leaves, you can spread this on your soil in planters and borders which will not only protect it from frost but will start to add nutrients back in ready for spring planting and growth.

Once the weather gets a little warmer, usually from March onwards, you can scarify the lawn to remove dead organic matter and start feeding with iron sulphate to give you lush, green grass in the spring.

2.5kg Pro-Kleen Iron Sulphate - Greens Grass, Hardens Turf

Price: £13.96

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If edges are looking a little unruly, you can make the garden look instantly neater by tidying them up and defining the borders.

Got artificial grass? You can give that a clean! You need to think of this as a carpet rather than grass and just like a carpet, it will benefit from regular cleaning – especially if you have pets who use it for toileting. Artificial grass cleaner will disinfect your lawn, get it looking cleaner, and smelling much nicer!