With spring rolling around, it’s time to start thinking about cleaning up our office grounds once again. While most of us have been cosied up inside the office over the past few months, our office grounds have begun to fill up with dead grass stalks, autumn leaves and various twigs and branches.As the weather begins to improve, many of us will want to get outside on our lunch break or have somewhere nice and breezy to sit for team meetings or the odd catch-up with a colleague – so it’s time for our business grounds’ spring clean. It is important, of course, to begin the process as soon as possible – as the days get warmer, the grass and other plants begin to grow and bloom, and this can make our grounds clean-up more difficult if we don’t “nip them in the bud” (excuse the pun).
While it can be tempting to get out into your business’s grounds yourself, armed with nothing more than a rake and some clippers, it’s worth considering that there is a right way to go about your spring grounds clean-up.
Here’s what you need to know:
In the early months, many insects are still in hibernation mode amongst hollow plant stems. It’s therefore not beneficial to the local environment (or to your flowering plants) to cut back plants too early in the spring. Before you start cutting, you should wait until outdoor temperatures reach at least 10°C.
If you’ve already cut down old plant stems, or prefer to do so in the early spring, an alternative is to toss the cuts onto your compost pile in a very loose fashion. Many of the bees and other insects taking refuge within will still be able to emerge when the time is right for them.
If possible, you should also wait until temperatures heat up before raking leaves out of your perennial flower beds, as this is where many insects nest or lay eggs. Your spring grounds clean should not be a destructive process – when you take the time to do it right, you’ll end up with beautiful grounds in harmony with nature that looks great and makes a great impression on any visitors, new employees or passer-bys – as well as being a great mood boost for your current staff!
While it’s important to protect your plants and the creatures which benefit from them, you’ll also want to protect yourself. This means ensuring you’ve got the right workwear and personal protective equipment – particularly if you’re using machinery to prune, cut or dig!
Alternatively, why not let the professionals take care of the hard work for you? With over 25 years of experience, we are a team you can trust to prepare your grounds this spring so that it’s ready for the summer months. Keep your business looking good, both inside and out!