How to Get Your Garden Ready for The Jubilee Bank Holiday

Getting Your Garden Ready for Jubilee Weekend

 

This year’s Queens’s Platinum Jubilee is going to be an extended bank holiday weekend, from Thursday 2nd June 2022. To celebrate, there will be thousands of garden parties and street gatherings around the UK.

If you’re hosting one, you’re probably going to want your garden to look perfect for your long weekend. Make the most of your outdoor space with some easy DIY projects and get your garden looking lush ready to enjoy this month’s Jubilee celebrations.

A few hours of work now will have it ready for the coming months, too. Here are some top tips on how to get your garden fit for a visit from the Queen herself.

 

DIY Tips to Get Your Garden Ready for a Party

 

Tip 1: Mow the lawn

Long grass can be great for wildlife but mowing it regularly when the weather allows actually keeps it in better shape over time. Each cut encourages the grass to grow back thicker, so you will be left with no patches.

It can also help to keep weeds at bay, without using harsh chemicals. You’re cutting them down before they have a chance to self-seed and can then remove the root easily using a weeding tool.

But cutting the grass is also practical when you’re going to be using the garden. From kids playing to using it as a seating area, long grass can be difficult to work with.

To tidy up your grass, you will need:

• Lawnmower
• Grass strimmer
• Lawn seed
• Compost

First, check your grass for any wildlife if it is quite long. Hedgehogs, grass snakes, nesting birds and amphibians can all make a home in your overgrown garden.

Once that’s done, you need to cut it. Don’t go too far; very short grass in hot weather just means a loss of moisture which will create dry patches. 2.5-4cm (1-1.5in) is ideal, although you should keep it a bit longer if you will be putting it through a lot of wear and tear.

If you use a mulching lawnmower, the grass is finely cut and then recycled back into the grass to feed it. This means less waste and a healthier lawn. The Makita PLM4631 lawnmower can cut to heights between 20-75mm and has a 3-in-1 feature for mulching, side-discharging, and rear-discharging. There’s also an edge trimmer function to get up close to walls and go around obstacles.

Use the strimmer to reduce any particularly long areas before using the lawnmower. Then, use the strimmer again to tidy around the edges of fences, flower borders and paths. If you have any small spaces which need attention, they can reach under hedges or decking.

Lawn seed can be used to fill in any patches which look to be going a bit bare, or to cover where you have weeded. Sprinkle them down, cover with compost then water generously. Keep dogs and young children away.

 

Tip 2: Get planting

Unsure about reducing wildlife’s love of your space? Don’t worry. You don’t have to completely eradicate the bees and butterflies. Instead, use plants to attract them.

Whether you want to keep everything neat and tidy in pots, or instead would like to make a raised garden bed, have a read about the different plants which can attract different members of the wildlife community. You don’t even have to do a lot of work here; a few flowering plants from your local garden centre will look lovely.

They can also add splashes of colour if you pick the right ones. This is an ideal way to cheer up your human and animal guests. Sowing seeds now also means more flowers right throughout the year.

If you want a flower bed but currently don’t have the space, here is what to do. You will need:

• Turf cutter
• Compost
• Rotavator

If your garden is completely turfed over, you will have to cut some away. Use a turf cutter to do this. It will remove the top layer of grass, so you’re still left with soil underneath.

Use a rotavator to churn this soil up. You may have to remove some of it if it isn’t good enough quality for plants and flowers. Replace with a top layer of compost and then start planting.

When using these power tools please read all safety and operating instructions before you begin your job, you need to wear the appropriate PPE. Gloves, eye protection, ear protection, and safety boots are essential for turf cutter and rotavator use and we’d also recommend using ear defenders. You should also wear gardening gloves when handling compost

Or if you’re up for a garden project challenge, why not build a raised garden bed? It will keep your soil a bit more contained, and they are easier to reach without kneeling.

 

Tip 3: Spruce up the furniture

We’ve had little spots of nice weather so far this year, but there is a good chance your furniture is still unused. It may be covered up, which means it is clean and dry but home to several bugs. Or, if it is left uncovered, it will require the removal of dirt and grime.

Either way, a pressure washer will get it all looking like new again. If you hire a pressure washer from Speedy, don’t just stop at cleaning your furniture, either. Patios, driveways, paths and even your guttering can be cleaned using one.

This won’t only keep everything looking great for your party, but for the months to come too. After a long, wet winter, there is no doubt that a lot will need sprucing up.

When using a pressure washer, wear eye protection, safety boots, gloves, dust mask as well as clothing which covers your skin. Also, remove any immediate debris from the area beforehand, to avoid the risk of injury if it is caught by the power of the water.

Touch up any wooden furniture with paint, sealant, or another protectant to prevent rot and decay.

 

Tip 4: Keep the power going

Speakers. Lights. Dragging the TV outside so you can watch Trooping the Colour/the BBC’s Party at the Palace. Using a projector to display it on a large screen. Heaters for when the temperature inevitably dips. Perhaps an outdoor refrigerator for keeping drinks cool, or even your own beer pump, whatever your choice you will need power to keep the party going.

If your garden will be filled with a few electricals over the party weekend, portable power solutions are ideal for providing power to your outdoor space. We recommend hiring a portable petrol generator over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend, to ensure you have access to power day and night.

When hiring generators from Speedy, we ensure all hire equipment is checked, tested, cleaned and serviced before every hire and will all come ready to go. Please read the safety and operating instructions before you begin your job.

Generators are really heavy, so if you need to lift it, make sure you get some help. It’s also really important that you wear the correct PPE when handling and operating a generator, hearing protection, safety boots and gloves are essential.

 

Speedy Top Tip! Please Watch our How to Use a Generator Video Correctly and Safely

 

Tip 5: Time to hang those decorations

Hanging Union Jack bunting or festoon lighting from your trees? Putting up hanging baskets? Any work done at height should be carried out using an access tower. These are one-man scaffolding platforms which are much safer than a step ladder, particularly if you’re working alone.

They give you a stable, flat platform to stand on, which is safer than a ladder rung. As they are on wheels, they can also be moved around easier, with secure wheel brakes to ensure they can’t move when in use.

If you hire an access tower, you can also carry out some other seasonal tasks. From cleaning your guttering in time for the autumn leaves to fall, or sprucing up the paintwork around your window frames, so much can be done to get the most out of your hire.

 

Is there power tool hire near me?

Speedy Services, the UK’s leading tool hire company, has over 3000 professional quality tools available to hire. With more than 200 service centres, hire counters in selected B&Qs and nationwide 4-hour delivery, it has never been easier to hire the equipment you need for your DIY projects.

Speedy has all the tools you need for any indoor or outdoor task. Open an account today, for easier hiring at amazing prices.

 

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