The evenings are getting lighter, warmer weather is on its way and before you know, it’ll be summer. 

But before the bees, greenery and vibrant flowers flourish again in the UK, gardening experts have revealed their top tips for getting your garden summer ready – especially if you’re a beginner to the green-fingered hobby.

Speaking to the Express, Chris Bonnett from GardeningExpress.co.uk admitted knowing where to start can be ‘overwhelming’. 

The expert’s basics included knowing your soil type and getting the correct gardening tools.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the top tips shared by the experts in gardening for getting your garden looking perfect ahead of summer… 

KNOWING YOUR SOIL TYPE

Chris insisted that knowing your garden’s soil type is one of the first tips that beginning gardeners should consider.

It will help you decide which plants are right for your garden. There are four basic soil types – clay, chalk, sand and peat.

Some plants thrive in an acidic environment, such as blueberries and azaleas, and others, such as cabbage, cucumbers, and cauliflower, prefer alkaline (clay) soil. 

GETTING THE RIGHT GARDENING TOOLS 

Chris urged that investing in the right gardening tools makes a huge difference to whether you’ll find gardening an easy task or a nightmare. 

Thankfully, there’s a few key items that you can invest in to ensure you’re ready to tackle your garden ahead of the summer. 

Chris said: ‘Try buying a decent pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands from cuts, chemicals, bites and skin irritants.

‘Invest in a hand trowel, spade and fork to make digging and turning soil easier. Shears and loppers are needed for pruning and tidying up and a rake for working on preparing and breaking up soil.’

FINDING OUT WHAT VEGETABLES GROW BEST IN YOUR AREA 

If you’d like to grow vegetables in your garden, then you should work out what grows best in your local area, according to Jeremy Yamaguchi.

The CEO of Lawn Love told Real Homes: ‘It can be tempting to choose all of your favorite vegetables, but unfortunately the climate where you live might not be the ideal living environment for some of them. 

‘So, to have a successful garden, look up what grows best in your climate,’ the expert insisted.

WATERING PLANTS REGULARLY  

The experts at Gardenersworld.com warned that working out when and how to water plants is the difference between them surviving or dying on your watch. 

They said that the water should be placed on the roots rather than the leaves, and that soaking the roots every week is better than offering a little bit of water each day.

‘Feeding is also important – generally you should be looking at feeding every fortnight during growing season (that’s spring and summer), although you will need to feed more if growing in containers,’ explained the experts.

DESIGNING YOUR GARDEN

Chris Bonnett said the most important decision to make when designing your garden is how you want it to work for you. 

For instance, do you want it to be somewhere you entertain guests, somewhere that’s a perfect destination for your children to play, or a relaxing area for yourself?

This decision will help you decide what to place in your garden and where. For example, you might want to grow your own vegetables and you’ll need to work up a boundary for that.