How to care for your garden each season, what to plant, and cheap tips to keep it looking great

Maintaining a garden in the UK can feel like a full-time job — rain one day, frost the next, and then heatwaves in July. But with the right preparation and seasonal habits, you can enjoy a garden that looks good all year round without spending a fortune.

Our team is made up of highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals who are passionate about creating beautiful outdoor spaces. From our designers to our maintenance crew, eveThe UK has four very different seasons, and each one affects soil temperature, rainfall, daylight and plant behaviour. Doing the right jobs at the right time:

• Keeps plants healthy
   
• Reduces long-term maintenance
   
• Prevents pests, rot and disease
   
• Saves money by reducing waste and plant losses
   
• Helps your garden bloom in sequence throughout the year
   

Think of your garden as a year-round project — every season prepares for the next.ryone at Bush & Bennett Garden Maintenance is committed to providing the best possible service.

Winter is the quiet season, but it’s one of the most important for preparation.

• Clear leaves and debris from beds and lawns to reduce pests and rot.
   
• Mulch garden beds with bark, compost or leaf mould to insulate roots and protect soil.
   
• Look after pots by raising them off the ground using pot feet or bricks to prevent waterlogging.
   
• Avoid mowing — grass grows slowly in the cold, and mowing frozen or soaked lawns causes damage.
   
• Plan your spring layout — winter is ideal for planning borders, ordering seeds, and choosing new shrubs.
   

             Bare-root fruit trees
 

• Roses
   
• Deciduous hedges (hawthorn, beech, hornbeam)
   
• Evergreen shrubs for structure
   

• Use free leaf mulch by collecting autumn leaves in a bin liner — they break down into rich compost.
   
• Reuse old blankets or bubble wrap to insulate greenhouses and pots.
   

Spring is the season of fresh growth, milder temperatures and longer days.

• Prepare the soil by adding compost or well-rotted manure.
   
• Divide overcrowded perennials like hostas, hardy geraniums or daylilies — gives you free new plants.
   
• Cut back dead stems from last year’s growth.
   
• Mulch borders to suppress weeds before they start.
   
• Sow hardy annuals outdoors and start tender seeds indoors.
   

• Lavender
   
• Geranium ‘Rozanne’
   
• Catmint (Nepeta)
   
• Ornamental grasses
   
• Spring bulbs for next year (late spring)
   

• Buy compost from local councils — many sell recycled green waste at low cost.
   
• Swap seeds or divided perennials with neighbours.
   

Summer is the peak growing season, so the focus is on keeping the garden looking its best with regular but light-touch care.

• Water deeply, not often — one good soak is better than daily sprinkles.
   
• Deadhead flowers to encourage new blooms.
   
• Keep weeds in check with weekly light weeding.
   
• Trim hedges (avoid during nesting season).
   
• Feed container plants every 1–2 weeks.
   

• Drought-tolerant perennials such as sedum and echinacea
   
• Bedding plants
   
• Herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage and mint
   

• Recycle cooking water (cooled) to water plants.
   
• Make a DIY drip-watering bottle by poking holes in a plastic bottle and burying it near thirsty plants.
   

Autumn is about cleaning up and preparing your garden for the colder months.

• Plant spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and crocus.
   
• Cut back dying annuals and remove spent crops.
   
• Apply a fresh layer of mulch to protect soil through winter.
   
• Aerate the lawn and apply autumn lawn feed.
   
• Prune shrubs lightly (avoid heavy pruning on frost-sensitive plants).
   

• Evergreen structure plants such as heuchera and bergenia
   
• Ornamental grasses
   
• Trees and shrubs
   
• Winter pansies & violas
   

• Collect seeds from your own plants to regrow next year.
   
• Use shredded cardboard as a base layer under bark mulch for cheap weed control.