Spring garden prep: who to call before April

Book your landscaper in January and your maintenance gardener in February. By April everyone’s full, and you’ll be looking at a scruffy lawn until June.

Spring is by far the busiest season for garden trades, because everyone has the same idea at once: one sunny weekend in March and every gardener’s phone starts ringing. There are gardeners and landscapers listed across WotsItCalled, and by the time the clocks change the good ones are booked six weeks ahead.

Regular maintenance: book by mid-February

If you want a gardener every fortnight from April, you need to be in their diary before the rush, and good gardeners start confirming their spring rounds in February.

• Existing client? Ring and confirm. Don’t assume last year’s arrangement rolls over. A quick “we’re still on, yes?” text takes five minutes.
• New client? Ring while they’re planning their rounds. Early to mid-February is ideal, and any later puts you on the waiting list.
• Be clear about frequency. Weekly, fortnightly or monthly, and bear in mind weekly slots go first.
• Agree the first visit. The first cut of the year usually falls between mid-March and early April, depending on the weather.

Landscaping and projects: book before January ends

Bigger jobs such as patios, new lawns, planting schemes and fence replacements need booking even earlier, because by the end of January the good landscapers are full from March to July.

• Get quotes in December or January. Landscapers are quieter then, so they’ll visit sooner and price more keenly.
• Agree a start window. It depends on the weather, so expect something like “first dry week in April”.
• Lock in materials. Prices for slabs, decking and turf move through spring, and fixing them early usually saves money.
• Plan around the drying season. New lawns and freshly planted beds need wet weeks followed by dry ones. Late April to early June is the sweet spot in most of the UK.

Tree work: now, not later

A lot of tree surgery has a seasonal window, and once the leaves are back some jobs become impossible or unsafe. Book these before the end of February:

• Major pruning and shaping, which is much easier when you can see the structure without leaves.
• Removing or crown-lifting large trees, with better access and less mess.
• Fruit tree pruning. Winter is the main window for apples and pears.
• Anything near nesting birds. Active nests are protected by law all year, and March to August is when most birds nest, so avoid work that could disturb them. Book it for winter or wait until September.

A proper tree surgeon is trained in arboriculture (usually to NPTC level), insured for chainsaw work and carries public liability cover. Ask to see their certificates. Tree work by someone without the right kit and training is how people end up in A&E.

What to ask when you book

1. When can you start? Push for actual dates. If they can’t name a week, they’re overbooked.
2. How do you quote? It should be a site visit first and a written quote after. Never book big work off a phone estimate.
3. Are you insured? Public liability of £1-2 million is the minimum, and tree work needs specialist cover.
4. Do you take the green waste away? Is it included or extra, and where does it go?
5. How do you handle weather delays? Spring jobs will lose days to rain, so ask how they reschedule.

Where to find them

Start with the gardeners and landscapers directory, which has city pages for Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Chester. Ring before the end of February for maintenance, and earlier for anything bigger.

Tasks you can knock off yourself before the pros arrive

While you wait for a landscaper’s quote or the gardener’s first visit, a few late-winter jobs will save time and money later:

• Clear leaves and debris from borders and lawns. Left lying over winter, they smother the grass and shelter slugs.
• Wash pots and terracotta. A scrub with warm water and a mild bleach solution kills fungal spores sitting in the cracks.
• Clean and sharpen your tools. Oil the pruner blades, sharpen the spade and get the mower serviced. Every garden centre offers mower servicing, so book it in February before the queue builds.
• Mend fences and arches. A windy March finishes off anything loose, and a wobbly post is easier to fix while the ground’s soft and before a climbing rose has moved in.
• Plan. Walk round with a coffee, note what worked, what didn’t and what needs replacing, then show the list to your gardener.

What your gardener will appreciate

Small things make a gardener’s job easier and keep the arrangement running smoothly:

• Easy access to water and power, meaning an outdoor tap, and an outdoor socket if they use electric tools.
• Somewhere to park and unload, especially for landscapers bringing materials.
• A written brief rather than a running commentary. A list on a piece of paper beats following them round the garden.
• Paying on time. It’s the biggest complaint gardeners have about clients, and a standing order solves it.

The short version

• Book a maintenance gardener by mid-February, or expect a six-week queue.
• Get landscaping quotes in December or January to secure the best slots.
• Tree work is easier and cheaper in winter, and nesting season rules out much of it from March.
• Spring weather will cause delays, so ask how the firm reschedules.
• For anything bigger than a mow, insist on insurance, a green waste plan and a written quote.

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