Your Cornwall Spring Garden Checklist

One of the pleasures of being based in Cornwall is that spring comes early. The mild Atlantic climate means that while gardeners in the Midlands and the north are still looking at a dormant frost-covered plot, we're already getting the first signs of the season coming to life. Lawns are greening up, hedges are starting to push new growth, and the first weeds of the year are establishing themselves in borders.

That early start is an opportunity. If you get your spring jobs done promptly here in Cornwall, your garden will be ahead of where it might be in a more typical English climate. But it also means there's less time to procrastinate — leave things until April and you'll be playing catch-up through May.

Here's what I'd recommend working through as spring arrives in a Cornish garden.

1. The First Mow of the Year

The number one spring job for most gardens is getting the lawn mowed. In Cornwall, soil temperatures often reach the 5°C threshold for grass growth by late February in a mild year, and certainly by early to mid-March in most years. Once you can see the grass visibly growing, it's time to start.

Keep the blade high for the first cut — 4 to 5cm is ideal. Don't scalp the lawn trying to get it short quickly; you'll weaken the grass and leave bare patches that moss and weeds will fill. The one-third rule applies: never remove more than a third of the grass height in a single pass. If the lawn has been resting since November and is 9cm tall, your first cut should bring it down to around 6cm, not lower.

Check the mower blades before you start. A blunt blade tears the grass rather than cutting it cleanly, leaving the lawn looking ragged and increasing its vulnerability to disease. If the blades haven't been sharpened in a season or two, get it done before the first cut.

2. Clear Winter Debris from Borders

Winter in Cornwall is relatively mild but it's still wet and often windy. By spring, most gardens have accumulated fallen leaves, broken stems, dead foliage and wind-blown debris across the beds and borders. Getting this cleared out early does several things:

• It lets light reach emerging perennials and bulbs that have been smothered
• It removes hiding places for slugs, which are already active in Cornwall's mild winters
• It makes it much easier to identify and tackle early weeds before they set seed
• It simply makes the garden look cared-for again after months of winter

This is also a good time to cut back any dead stems from last year's perennials that you left standing over winter for wildlife. They've served their purpose now and need removing to make way for new growth.

3. Get on Top of Weeds Early

This is the task that pays the most dividends if you do it early and suffers the most if you leave it. Weeds in Cornwall start establishing themselves in earnest from late February. Chickweed, groundsel, hairy bittercress and annual meadow grass are all capable of setting seed before most people have even thought about getting into the garden.

A thorough hand-weed or hoe of borders in early March, when weed seedlings are tiny and the soil is just moist enough to work easily, is worth hours of effort in May when the same plants have grown into established specimens with deep roots and hundreds of seeds ready to disperse.

For lawns, dandelions and daisies emerge early. Deal with them while they're small rather than waiting until you have a lawn full of rosettes.

4. Check Your Hedges

Hedges in Cornwall grow vigorously from spring right through to autumn, and the worst thing you can do is let them get ahead of you. An early spring check lets you assess what shape they're in after winter and whether they need a tidy before the main growing season gets under way.

For most formal hedges, the key window for a first trim is late March to mid-April — before nesting season is fully under way, but after the risk of hard frost has passed. Always check for active nests before cutting any hedge between March and August, and leave anything occupied alone until the birds have finished.

Overgrown hedges that have been left for several years are best tackled in winter or very early spring before the sap rises, so if you have a major hedge renovation on your list, now is the last chance to get it done without causing undue stress to the plants.

5. Clean Hard Surfaces

Patios, paths and driveways in Cornwall are almost always covered in green algae and moss by the end of winter. The combination of Atlantic rainfall, damp air and shade means hard surfaces turn slippery and unsightly faster here than almost anywhere else in the country.

Spring is the ideal time to pressure wash these areas, and the results are immediate and satisfying. A good pressure wash removes the algae, brightens the surface and makes the outdoor space usable again just as the weather begins to improve and you want to be outside.

Do the patio before the outdoor furniture goes back out — it's much easier to work around an empty space, and you'll get a better result.

6. Feed the Lawn

Once the lawn is actively growing — typically from mid-March in Cornwall — it will benefit from a spring feed. A lawn fertiliser with a higher nitrogen content promotes strong green growth through the season. Apply it according to the instructions and avoid doing it just before heavy rain, which will wash the nutrients away before they can be absorbed.

If your lawn has bare or thin patches from winter, scratch the surface lightly with a rake, scatter some lawn seed and keep it moist. Cornwall's spring rainfall usually does a good job of this without too much intervention.

7. Prune Shrubs and Climbers

Most spring-flowering shrubs should be left until after they've flowered before pruning. But late-summer and autumn-flowering shrubs — buddleja, hardy fuchsias, late-flowering clematis — are best cut back hard in March before they come into growth. Left until summer, the same job is much harder and less effective.

Roses also benefit from a spring prune in Cornwall, cutting back to just above an outward-facing bud to encourage an open, well-shaped plant. Remove any dead wood and crossing branches at the same time.

Need a Hand This Spring?

Spring is the busiest time for garden maintenance services across Cornwall and availability fills up quickly. If you'd like help getting your garden ready for the season — whether that's a first mow and border clear, a hedge trim, a patio pressure wash, or all of the above — get in touch and I'll come and take a look.

I cover Newquay and the surrounding areas of Cornwall including Perranporth, Padstow, Wadebridge, Truro, St Austell and all the villages in between. Free no-obligation quotes for all new customers.