Northants, Leics &amp; Rutland

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-002.jpg" alt="Woman lying in a hammock in the garden " class="wp-image-65876" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-002.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-002-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-002-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



When everything starts to burst forth all at once in the garden, the overwhelm can feel very real, so if you’re wondering where to even start, here’s what I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks (and, no, it’s not too late!)



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-do-you">You do you</h2>



You can listen to all the advice but, what works for you in your garden can be very different to what works for even your neighbour. A basic understanding of what should get done still requires a bit of patience to work out what works in the context of your space and, most of all, it takes observation.



If you took <a href="https://northantsleicsrutland.muddystilettos.co.uk/home/gardening/re-wilding-your-outside-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">my advice earlier in the year</a> and and left all the woody stems and seed heads from your perennials, your local bugs and birds will have been thanking you. And, hopefully, you will have seen how much more interesting (and part of the local ecosystem!) your garden was for it.



I’ll admit. I went a step further than the ‘light tidying’, I did, Absolutely nothing. Part experiment, part lethargy, I left it all. So, being a bit of a fair weather gardener (it’s allowed!) when I first got outside and spent some serious hours in the garden a couple of weeks ago, I had a bit of a revelation. Everything was OK. Everything survived and, if I’m being honest, the tidying and clearing might even have been a little easier?



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="771" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-006-771x1024.jpg" alt="Verbena flowers and cabbage white butterfly " class="wp-image-65878" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-006-771x1024.jpg 771w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-006-226x300.jpg 226w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-006-768x1020.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-006.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" /></figure>



Winter looked a tad messier but, in a good way, I think. Yes, there were a few weeds and the usual, persistent brambles had started their sneaky creep but, when I cut it all back a couple of weekends ago, all was good. 



In fact, thinking back to previous years where I did a ‘half tidy’ going into winter &#8211; leaving bits and pieces for the wildlife &#8211; and then another in spring, I actually saved myself half the work. There weren’t nearly as many weeds to take out this year as the ground cover from last years growth broadly kept them out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-get-done-now">What to get done now</h2>



CUT BACK



Get rid of any old, herbaceous growth you left over winter if you haven’t done so already.  You may see new growth coming through at the base so, be careful not to damage it. Consider chopping them up finely before adding to your compost as it will help them break down more quickly.  Or, if they have dried out well, a mix of twiggy and papery cuttings bound together in small bundles can also make effective fire-lighters for wood burners, pizza ovens and BBQ’s.



CHECK YOUR BUTT



Gutters and water butt inlets can get clogged with leaves and while they’re largely out of sight, out of mind in the winter. You’re likely going to start using them a lot more from now on into the summer, so you will definitely appreciate catching all the water you can.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-005.jpg" alt="self seeded foxgloves" class="wp-image-65879" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-005.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-005-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-005-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



GRAB A FREEBIE



As you tidy through your plants, are there any self sets starting to grow? Don’t weed them!  Lift and pot up for future use or, leave to grow up where they are if it suits. The most generous plants in my garden are Verbena Bonariensis, Foxgloves (which take 2 years to flower from seed) Poppies and Nigella (Love-In-A-Mist). Some will be welcome, others may be less so – mostly due to sheer volume. If you get more than you bargain for, revise the timing of when you cut that particular plant back the following year or, just nip off the spent flower heads before they set seed.



Similarly, if there are perennials that have got a bit too big or, need invigorating, lift and divide them, planting out the removed half somewhere else or potting on for later use.



SOW SOME SEEDS



I used to be there in January, covering any available surface in the house with trays of seeds, eagerly anticipating the first tiny shoot. By the time it was warm enough to move my seedlings outside they would, invariably, be spindly, leggy things (or dead).  Usually from too little light or, slightly erratic watering. These days, I wait. In fact, last year I waited, pretty much until this year – didn’t sow a thing. When I can comfortably be outside in just a jumper, I sow my first seeds in the greenhouse. I find they germinate quicker, grow more strongly and have much more chance of actually making it into the garden.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-003.jpg" alt="bathtub used as a garden planter" class="wp-image-65882" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-003.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-003-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2026/04/Spring-gardening-jobs-003-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-embrace-nature">Embrace nature</h2>



I believe our gardens should feel a little bit magical.  And they are really. When used to their full potential they not only provide respite from busy, modern lives, they are the frontline in helping to reverse biodiversity loss.  All it really needs is a little less intervention from us and an appreciation of the opportunity to have a little bit of nature outside our own back doors.



Our modern obsession with indoor / outdoor living and an associated desire for neatness in gardens has pulled focus from what what a garden is at heart.  Gardens often tend to be viewed as an extension of our homes and to be managed as such. I&#8217;d argue that there is opportunity for both a more ‘natural’ view of the garden and convenient, contemporary outdoor living to co-exist.  Whether it’s through careful design or, finding new ways to garden, working with nature rather than against it. 



So, for anyone who may have lost touch with this a little, I urge you to plant a couple of seeds. Anything.  A yoghurt pot on a windowsill.  It doesn’t need to be fancy. There is something quite magical about seeing a whole, complete plant emerge from something so tiny so, go and find it! 



Need more help with creaating a thoughtful outside space? Get in touch with Hannah at <a href="https://www.hpgardendesign.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HP Garden Design</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-want-more-like-this-try-these">Want more like this? Try these</h2>



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<li><a href="https://northantsleicsrutland.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/free-things-to-do-near-you/">I’m free! 10 things to do near you this month – and they’re all FOC</a></li>



<li><a href="https://northantsleicsrutland.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/splash-where-to-hit-the-water/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Splash! Where to hit the water across Northants, Leics and Rutland</a></li>
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The lazy girl’s guide to gardening

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