I’m a gardening expert… here are six easy jobs to transform your green space in less than an hour

With National Gardening Week just around the corner, many Brits will be thinking about how to spruce up their green spaces.

Held between May 1 and 7, the celebration is organized by the Royal Horticultural Society to raise awareness about gardening and horticulture and encourage more people to take part in the outdoor activity.

Additionally, the hashtag #springgardenclean has been viewed 164.4 million times on TikTok, and searches for “garden crafts for April” have increased by a whopping 250%. So it’s clear that Brits want to inject some spring vibrancy into their gardens.

Express double folding doors has teamed up with Nigel Lawton, garden expert at Dobbie Garden Centre, to reveal six quick garden jobs you can do to transform your garden in under an hour – even if you’re an absolute beginner.

From welcoming wildlife and refreshing pots to lawn and patio maintenance, read on for the full list.

Cleaning up the garden – 60 minutes

The first time-saving task that should take an hour or less is cleaning up your green space.

With searches for ‘garden cleaning’ increasing by 60% in the last three months, spring cleaning your garden is an essential first step when it comes to preparing for summer.

If you have been maintaining your outdoor space throughout the winter months, this is an easy job.

Nigel notes that one of the quickest and easiest ways to tidy up your garden is to remove dead leaves, clear your beds and borders before the growing season, remove weeds and apply a good layer of mulch over the surface with organic compost.

He explains that mulching not only helps freshen the look of your garden, but it also gets into the soil and gives your plants a nutritional boost for spring.

Designing your beds and borders – 50-60 minutes

After you’ve cleared the garden and removed weeds, the next step is to prune back any winter-flowering plants whose flowers are starting to fade.

This is another quick task that will only take you between 50 and 60 minutes.

Start by removing dead, diseased or damaged branches, and remove any branches that cross or put pressure on each other, says Nigel.

Summer flowering shrubs such as Buddleia, Lavatera and hardy Fuschias can then be pruned to make room for new growth.

In addition to encouraging new plant growth by removing dead material, pruning can also control the height and shape of your plants.

Creating a cozy patio – 30-60 minutes

As summer approaches you may receive more visitors for garden parties and barbecues, so having a cozy space to relax in will be helpful.

If you have a terrace, the expert advises transforming it into a cozy social spot.

He suggests, “Start with a good cleaning with a pressure washer to get the job done quickly in less than an hour.

‘You can further liven up the space by adding some garden furniture, combined with some cushions, some throws and an outdoor rug.

‘If you want to merge the indoors and outdoors, Express Bi-Folding Doors recommends purchasing sliding or bi-folding doors so you can create a seamless indoor-outdoor flow, which will also make your space look larger.’

Refreshing your pots – 15-30 minutes

To enjoy instant color in your garden this spring, Nigel recommends refreshing your pots, hanging baskets and window boxes with early season flowers for a country garden effect.

One of his favorite ways to make an impact with your container plants is to focus on color themes in concentrated groups.

The expert advises: ‘Warm colors and shades of red, orange and pink are preferred in the warmer months, but displays of yellow daffodils and blue primroses, pansies or violas can be effective in spring to welcome the new season.’

To give your pots a makeover for spring, Nigel suggests taking stock of what you already have and reorganizing them for a fresh look.

Sets of three work well and allow you to create an impressive display with small, medium and large plants of varying heights next to your door.

Lawn maintenance – 15-30 minutes

Another beginner-friendly task you can do to spruce up your garden is lawn maintenance. In the last three months alone, searches for “lawn care” have increased by 238%.

Depending on the weather, early spring is the time to prepare your lawn for seeding by cultivating the soil and ensuring the area is flat and firm.

However, before you do anything, make sure you remove all debris from your lawn.

Nigel adds that as spring approaches and the weather warms up, you can start raking out moss and dead grass.

Other lawn treatments should only be used in late spring when temperatures are rising as the grass is still quite soft during the colder months and this can damage it.

This will take 15-30 minutes for small gardens and up to 60 minutes for larger gardens.

Welcome to the wild – 40-60 minutes

Finally, spring is the perfect time to welcome wildlife to your garden, when small animals come out of hibernation and new birds come to life.

The hashtag #gardenwildlife has been viewed no less than 2.9 million times on TikTok.

To ensure your garden is a safe place for wildlife, Nigel suggests dedicating a small part of your garden to creating a wildlife-friendly habitat with pollinating plants and places for small animals and insects to hide.

You can create a safe place for them by stacking branches in a shady spot to protect them from the elements – and all this can be done in less than an hour.

Steve Bromberg, Managing Director at Express Bi-Folding Doors says: ‘We hope these beginner-friendly gardening tasks will help you ease into gardening and quickly transform your garden into a peaceful paradise.

‘If you want to open up your space, consider investing in sliding or bi-folding doors as these can easily blend the indoors and outdoors while giving the illusion of expanding your space.’