Spring garden prep: who to call before April

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

Spring is the busiest time of year for the garden trades by a mile. Everyone has the same idea at the same time – a weekend of sunshine in March and suddenly every gardener’s phone goes. There are gardeners and landscapers listed across WotsItCalled, and the ones worth having are booked up six weeks out by the time the clocks change.

Regular maintenance – book by mid-February

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

• Existing client? Ring and confirm. Don’t assume last year’s arrangement rolls over. A text to say “we’re still on, yes?” is worth five minutes.
• New client? Ring the week they’ll be planning their rounds. Early to mid-February is ideal. Any later and you’re on the waiting list.
• Be clear about frequency. Weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. Weekly slots go first.
• Agree the first visit date. First cut of the year is usually mid-March to early April depending on weather.

Landscaping and projects – book before January ends

Bigger jobs – patios, new lawns, planting schemes, fence replacements – need booking even earlier. The good landscapers are booked solid from March through July by the end of January.

• Quote in December-January. Landscapers are quieter, they’ll visit faster, they’ll quote sharper prices.
• Agree a start window. Weather-dependent, so usually “first dry week in April” or similar.
• Lock in materials. Slabs, decking, turf – prices move through spring. Locking in early usually saves money.
• Plan around the drying season. New lawns and freshly planted beds need wet weeks then dry weeks. Late April to early June is the sweet spot in most of the UK.

Tree work – now, not later

Tree surgeons have a specific seasonal window for a lot of work. Once leaves are back on, certain jobs become impossible or unsafe. Things to book before the end of February:

• Major pruning and shaping. Much easier to see the structure without leaves.
• Removing or crown-lifting large trees. Better access, less mess.
• Fruit tree pruning. Winter is the main pruning window for apples and pears.
• Work near nesting birds. Nesting season runs March to August and bird nests are legally protected. Avoid any work that could disturb them – book winter or wait until September.

A proper tree surgeon is arboriculturally trained (usually to NPTC level), insured for chainsaw work, and carries public liability. Ask to see certification. Tree work from anyone 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? Be specific about dates. If they can’t give you a real week, they’re overbooked.
2. What’s the quote process? Site visit first, written quote after. Never book big work off a phone estimate.
3. Are you insured? Public liability at minimum. £1-2 million. Tree work needs specialist cover.
4. Do you take green waste? Included or extra? Where does it go?
5. How do you handle weather delays? For spring jobs, wet weeks will happen. Ask how they reschedule.

Where to find them

Start in the gardeners and landscapers directory: Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Chester. Ring before the end of February for maintenance, earlier for anything bigger.

Tasks you can knock off yourself before the pros arrive

While you’re waiting for the landscaper’s quote or the gardener’s first visit, there’s a handful of jobs worth doing yourself in late winter that’ll save time (and money) later:

• Clear leaves and debris from borders and lawns. Left under the winter blanket, they smother grass and harbour slugs.
• Wash pots and terracotta. A quick brush with warm water and a mild bleach solution kills fungal spores over-wintering in the cracks.
• Clean and sharpen tools. Oil the pruner blades, sharpen the spade edge, get the mower serviced. Every garden centre offers mower servicing – book it in February before the queue.
• Mend fences and arches. A windy March finishes off anything loose. Easier to fix a wobbly post when the ground’s still soft than after it’s hosting a climbing rose.
• Plan. Walk the garden with a coffee and decide what’s worked, what hasn’t, what needs replacing. Make a list. Show it to the gardener.

What your gardener will appreciate

A few small things that make a gardener’s job easier and your relationship with them smoother:

• Clear access to water and power. Outdoor tap, outdoor socket if they’re using electric tools.
• Somewhere to park and unload. Especially for landscapers with materials.
• Written brief, not a running commentary. “Do this, this, this” on a piece of paper is better than following them round.
• Pay on time. The single biggest complaint gardeners have about clients. Set up a standing order.

The short version

• Book a maintenance gardener by mid-February. Waiting means a six-week queue.
• Landscaping projects should be quoted in December or January to lock in the best slots.
• Tree work is easier and cheaper in winter – and nesting season rules out a lot of it from March onwards.
• Weather delays are inevitable in spring – ask how the firm handles rescheduling.
• Insurance, green waste, and a written quote are the minimum for anything bigger than a mow.

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