At the end of the first week in April, the Met Office reported the warmest day of 2026 so far at Kew Gardens – and one of the hottest dates the month had seen in the past eight decades. London saw higher temperatures than in many top European holiday hotspots.
However, forecasts at the time of writing were for cooler, wetter weather moving in – so spring still wasn’t quite settled. But before it finally fully arrives, it’s a great time to begin preparing your garden. So here are some key tasks to complete before the end of April.
At the moment, it still seems a little early to get your hands completely dirty again. And you may want to resist the urge to plant things in the ground until it’s consistently warmer. Nonetheless, there are still plenty of things you can be doing to prepare your outside spaces for the spring and early summer, so that you enter these seasons with a strong, productive garden.
So show your outdoor areas some love before you start planting, in the aftermath of the winter, especially if you live somewhere where the colder times of year are particularly challenging.
- Clear garden debris
Have a look around and see what might need tidying up, including scattered branches, sticks, pinecones, dead plants and leaves and so on. Include any window boxes and containers in this.
- Pruning
This is a great time to be cutting back trees and shrubs such as roses. However, one rule of thumb is to avoid pruning anything that flowers before the middle of June until after it comes into flower.
That said, you can trim dead leaves and stems from perennial plants to stimulate fresh growth.
As you prune, take care not to disturb nesting birds – check for wildlife before you prune hedges or shrubs.
- Get garden beds ready
In the aftermath of winter, soil often becomes compact and hard. This can make it trickier to plant new things in the ground. So get ready for fresh planting by loosening the soil and turning it over.
Next, add nutrients to encourage growth. But, first, understand the pH and nutrient levels of your soil – this will help you to fertilise it properly. A simple soil test is all you need.
Finally, add some compost to your garden beds now if you’ve been composting over the winter.
- Mulching and weeding
As temperatures rise, growth in vegetable beds and borders accelerates. Clear weeds with a hoe or hand fork and, if you have some garden compost, use it to mulch your borders at this time of year, as long as the earth is damp enough.
- Brace yourself for slugs and snails
These creatures can be a real nightmare for gardeners, so be prepared. Slugs are at their most active in spring, so it pays to pre-empt their arrival. They can be at their most damaging at this time of year, too, as they attack vulnerable new seedlings and other fresh growth.
Have some controls in place in readiness, whether that’s organic pellets, copper-based barriers or encouragement of natural predators. This is so much more effective than reacting to damage after it’s been caused.
- Show your lawn some TLC
Revive your lawn after the coldest months and give it a boost for the (hopefully) much milder times ahead. For smaller grassy patches, push a garden fork into the soil at intervals roughly 10cm apart to loosen the soil.
For a larger grassy area, it may be worth hiring a mechanical aerator to enhance drainage and let air back into the soil.
At the same time, don’t be afraid to leave all or some of your lawn untended for weeks at a time. This allows daisies and other species to flower, giving bees and similar pollinating insects nectar and pollen.
Talk to AS Landscapes
At Surrey-based AS Landscapes, we’ve been working in our sector for more than two decades and are a design and build company. As well as working across our home county, we also cover Ascot and Windsor for many of our projects.
Read more about all our landscaping services here. And if you’re considering having a big project done – whether that’s brickwork, fencing, a new driveway, patio, turfing or artificial grass, talk to us. Now is an ideal time to discuss major jobs, since you’ll have the whole summer ahead to enjoy them.
Our show garden is open during the week for visits, too, by appointment only.