The Low Down On The Autumn Garden Clean Up

Forget the spring clean, an autumn clean-up is vital to your garden’s health. Whether it’s a bit of weeding to keep on top of things or planning some new planting to revive a tired border, autumn is the month to clean up your act in the garden.

Preparing For Frost

With the baked ground from the heatwaves we’ve experienced this year, the ground could well have shrunk in parts, while the ground will move as nature intends, the first casualty of this movement is usually the cement joints in between the patio or paving slabs. A few simple checks and repairs made before the onset of winter will prevent the acceleration of deterioration in the cold weather and will avoid the need for more extensive repairs in the spring.

Other than ground movement, the most common cause of patio pointing failure is when voids are present either within the joint or under it, which could be down to how the patio was laid. The water soon gets into these voids and with a freeze-thaw action soon destroys the rest of the joint causing cement mortar in paving to crumble. The pointing will need to be scraped out and re-pointed and, in some cases, the patio will need to be re-laid on full mortar beds if it’s a reoccurring problem.

Here at The Garden Design Co, we lay our patios on full mortar beds to prevent water pockets and point using resin grout which is cement-free. It’s resistant to freeze-thaw cycles and forms a solid joint that resists weed and plant growth. If you’re experiencing a problem with crumbling pointing, we can help.

Winter Is Coming

The cold frosts and the damp can actually be detrimental to your garden and patio furniture so it’s important to protect them or store them away. But first give them a wash with warm, soapy, anti-bacterial water to wash any debris and bugs, make sure you allow them to dry fully before covering or storing.

Water butts need some attention at this time of year too, make sure that any water butts that feed off the guttering are all in good condition and that the guttering in itself is leak and debris free, you’ll benefit next year from the water they’ll collect over the upcoming wetter months. Maintain all of your garden equipment by ensuring that tools are clean, sharpened and kept inside. Dirty tools, rust and harbour bacteria that could be fatal to your plats when you next use them, do not skip this step! You’ll also save a bunch of money from not having to repurchase expensive secateurs that have stuck from rust.

Ready for an autumn clean up? Our Aftercare Packages can help ease the strain. Call us on 0116 210 0760 today.