Weekend Garden Projects to Try This Spring

There’s something about spring that makes me want to get outside and dig in the dirt. Maybe it’s the longer days or the promise of a summer of flowers, but lately, I’ve found myself wandering around the garden centre with a trolley full of seed packets, compost, and big plans.

I’m no Monty Don and I’m pretty clueless about a lot of gardening wisdom – but I am starting to get into it and I’ve realised there’s a lot you can do in a weekend that makes a big difference. So whether you’ve got a big garden, a tiny balcony, or just a few pots outside the back door, these weekend garden projects are the perfect way to bring a little green magic to your space this spring.

Weekend Garden Projects to Try This Spring

Start a Mini Herb Garden

One of the easiest and most rewarding ways to start gardening is with herbs. They’re low maintenance, smell great, and make you feel like a proper grown-up when you casually pop out to snip a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary to throw in your cooking.

You can grow herbs in any container – in pots, in a window box, or even in a dedicated raised bed. Stick to easy starters like basil, parsley, rosemary, mint, and chives—and put them in a sunny spot. Mint in particular will just grow and grow so you can’t go wrong – plus it smells divine every time you brush past it and you can have endless peppermint tea over the summer.

Plant a Bee-Friendly Flower Border

If you’ve got a bit of space in your garden, why not create a border that’s bursting with colour and good for the bees and butterflies?

Go for nectar-rich blooms like lavender, echinacea, foxgloves, and cosmos. They’re beautiful, easy to grow from seed, and are brilliant for pollinators. You could also include a few wildflower seed mixes—they’re low effort and look meadow-y once they get going. They come in boxes that you can just sprinkle on the soil, or sometimes in little “seed bombs” that you scatter on the ground.

Just don’t forget to prepare your soil first: give it a good weed, mix in some compost, and then sow away. It’s the kind of job that feels properly satisfying, and you’ll get months of joy from it.

This year I’m also experimenting with growing wildflowers in a few big pots to have on the patio.

Create a Container Pond

This one might sound a bit ambitious, but a mini pond in a container is actually a really fun and achievable weekend project.

All you need is a watertight container (think old tin bath, wooden barrel with a liner, or even a big varnished ceramic pot), some aquatic plants, and a few stones or bricks to create different depths. Fill it with rainwater if you can (tap water is fine too, but leave it to sit for a day to dechlorinate, or use aquarium dechlorinator), and place it somewhere shady-ish.

Your tiny pond will be a hit with birds, frogs, and insects—and it makes a lovely little focal point. Plus, no digging required!

If your container is big enough, you can add a small solar fountain which will help to oxygenate the water and gives you the sound of running water on your patio.

Brighten Up a Balcony or Patio with Pots

If you’re short on garden space, pots are your best friend. They’re easy to move around, don’t need much prep, and let you change things up throughout the year.

This spring, try creating a little collection of pots with a mix of bulbs, bedding plants, and trailing greenery. Think violas, pansies, nemesia, ivy, or even some dwarf daffodils if you can still find them.

Top tip: Group pots in odd numbers and vary the heights for a more natural look. If you’re feeling fancy, you can even colour-coordinate your flowers—but I tend to just go for whatever’s looking prettiest at the garden centre.

Build a Raised Bed for Vegetables

If you fancy growing your own but aren’t quite ready to commit to an entire veg patch, a raised bed is a great place to start. You can pick up kits that are easy to assemble, or knock one together with a few planks of untreated wood or decking boards.

Fill it with good-quality compost and start with easy growers like salad leaves, radishes, spring onions, and courgettes. You’ll be amazed at how much you can harvest from a small space—and nothing tastes better than veg you’ve grown yourself.

If you don’t have space for a raised bed, you can also get these vegetable growing bags which hardly take up any space. I’ve used them to great success in my garden.

Make a Bug Hotel

This one’s a great little project if you’ve got kids, or just love the idea of giving bugs a stylish place to stay. All you need is a wooden frame or box (an old crate works), and a mix of natural materials—think bamboo canes, pine cones, bits of bark, and hollow stems.

Tuck your bug hotel into a quiet corner of the garden and let the insects move in. It’s a great way to encourage biodiversity, and it looks sweet tucked under a hedge or behind a flower bed.

Prune and Tidy Up

Not the most glamorous of tasks (because it’s basically outdoor housework!) but giving your garden a proper tidy-up in spring is deeply satisfying. Spend a weekend cutting back dead growth, trimming hedges, sweeping paths, and weeding.

You’ll feel like you’ve pressed the reset button on your outdoor space—and it makes all your other projects look even better.

Try Vertical Gardening

Short on space? Go up instead. Vertical gardening is a brilliant way to add greenery to balconies, courtyards, or small patios.

You can buy ready-made vertical planters or make your own using an old wooden pallet or some hanging shoe organisers (yes, really). Fill them with trailing plants, herbs, or even strawberries for a space-saving garden that looks fab.

You might also like:

Spring Weekend Bucket List

How to Embrace Hygge in Spring and Summer

10 Ideas for Weekend Micro-Adventures

Refresh Your Garden Furniture or Decor

If your garden furniture’s seen better days, a lick of paint can work wonders. Choose a cheerful colour (I love a bit of sage green or soft blue), grab a tin of outdoor paint, and spend the afternoon reviving benches, tables, or even tired old plant pots.

You can also add little touches like solar lights, bunting, or a weatherproof rug to make your outdoor space feel like an extra room of the house.

Add a Solar-Powered Fountain

The sound of trickling water is always calming, and a solar-powered fountain is a surprisingly easy way to add that peaceful vibe to your garden. You can put them in a bird bath, a decorative bowl, or even a DIY mini pond—and it’ll start bubbling away as soon as the sun hits it.

They’re faff-free (no wiring or plumbing needed), affordable, and make your outdoor space feel instantly more serene. Plus, the birds will love you for it.

Top tip: go for one with a built-in battery if you want it to keep working on cloudy days. These are harder to find though!

Start a Simple Compost Pile

Starting a compost heap might not be the most glamorous job on this list, but hear me out—composting is basically garden alchemy. You take your kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, and garden trimmings, and over time they turn into rich, crumbly compost your plants will love. Here’s some great advice on composting from the RHS.

You don’t need anything fancy to get started—just a corner of the garden or a compost bin (you can buy one or make your own with a few pallets). Toss in your veggie peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells, grass cuttings, and leaves. (Avoid meat, dairy, and cooked food though—they’ll attract unwanted guests!)

It takes a bit of patience, but it’s totally worth it. And there’s something very satisfying about feeding your garden with homemade compost.

Enjoy Your Garden!

I’m learning that gardening doesn’t have to mean spending every weekend lugging around wheelbarrows or digging trenches. These ideas are perfect for weekend projects—they’re manageable, satisfying, and make your garden or outdoor space feel more alive.

Whether you’re planting a few herbs on the windowsill or building a bug hotel with the kids, it’s all about enjoying the process (and maybe getting a bit of sunshine while you’re at it). I’m excited to keep experimenting this spring—and I hope you are too.