Garden maintenance calendar: what to do each season in the UK

Keeping a UK garden looking good across the year has less to do with how much effort goes in and more to do with when that effort happens. Many of the jobs that cause problems later, from thin lawns to shapeless shrubs, trace back to work done at the wrong time of year rather than too little work overall. The seasons below follow the pattern most gardeners and bodies such as the RHS recommend, though exact timing will shift a week or two depending on the weather in a given year and where in the UK the garden is.

Spring is when most gardens properly wake up. Lawns that have sat dormant over winter need their first cut once growth is visibly under way and the weather is mild enough, and it is worth setting the mower blades slightly higher than usual for that first pass rather than scalping the grass straight away. A high-nitrogen spring feed can help a tired lawn recover, though it is only really necessary if the lawn needs a boost. This is also the season for sowing seeds, planting out, and dividing overgrown clumps of herbaceous perennials, something most perennials benefit from roughly every two to three years. Shrubs that flower in spring, such as forsythia, need pruning straight after they finish flowering rather than before, since cutting them back too early removes the very growth that would have carried this year's flowers.

As the weather warms into early summer, borders and containers need more regular attention. Established trees, shrubs and perennials in beds and borders generally only need watering during extended dry spells, and it is more effective to water thoroughly and less often than to sprinkle little and often, since this encourages roots to grow deeper and cope better with drought. Deadheading spent flowers regularly through the growing season keeps plants tidy and encourages further blooms, though it is worth leaving some seedheads on plants that self-seed or feed birds later on. Lawns typically need mowing weekly through the height of the season, though letting the cutting frequency drop to once a fortnight, or leaving areas unmown for longer, is increasingly recommended where supporting pollinators and wildlife matters more than a neat, short lawn.

Summer is also when hedges usually need their annual or twice-yearly trim, and this is where UK law becomes directly relevant. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built. This is not a rule with fixed statutory dates; it protects active nests specifically, at any time of year. In practice, though, most garden and hedgerow birds nest between roughly March and September, so bodies such as the RSPB commonly advise avoiding hedge and tree cutting during that window and recommend doing this work between September and the end of February instead, when the risk of disturbing an active nest is much lower. If cutting during the main nesting months cannot be avoided, the guidance is to check the hedge or tree thoroughly for signs of nesting activity first, using hand tools rather than powered ones where possible so work can stop immediately if a nest is found. This is general information rather than legal advice, and anyone unsure about a specific situation should seek their own guidance, but the safest and simplest approach for most households is to schedule hedge cutting for autumn or winter and leave hedges alone during the spring and summer growing season.

Once autumn arrives, attention shifts toward tidying up and preparing for the colder months. Fallen leaves need clearing from lawns fairly regularly, since a covering of leaves blocks light and moisture and can smother the grass underneath. Autumn is also the best time for planting spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and crocuses, and for carrying out autumn lawn care more broadly, which typically includes scarifying to remove thatch and moss, aerating to relieve compaction, and applying an autumn feed formulated for root growth and hardiness rather than lush top growth. Borders benefit from a tidy-up too, cutting back perennials that have finished for the year, though many gardeners now leave some seedheads and stems standing over winter for insects and birds rather than clearing everything to bare soil.

Winter is the season for structural and dormant-season work. Many deciduous trees, shrubs and hedges can be pruned and renovated once they have lost their leaves, since less sap is moving and the plant has no leaves to lose. Tender plants and evergreens are generally better left alone until spring, since pruning them in cold weather can do more harm than good. Newly planted trees, shrubs and hedges benefit from some protection against wind and hard frost, whether that is a windbreak, mulch, or material such as straw packed around the base. With less growing to do overall, winter also tends to be the practical time for larger structural jobs such as repairing fences or replacing hard landscaping, since there is less risk of damaging plants that are actively growing.

Pruning timing causes more confusion than almost any other garden task, but the underlying logic is fairly consistent once it clicks. Shrubs that flower in spring on growth made the previous year should be pruned as soon as they finish flowering, giving them the rest of the year to produce the wood that will flower next spring. Shrubs that flower later, from summer into autumn, generally flower on growth made earlier that same year, so these are usually pruned in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. Evergreens tend to be pruned after flowering or lightly shaped in late spring, since pruning them in autumn or winter can leave the plant unbalanced going into the colder months. Individual plants can still be exceptions to these general patterns, so it is worth checking the specific needs of anything unusual before reaching for the secateurs.

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