You may be one of those not lucky to have a perfect lawn yet and what you are looking at in your back garden is nothing like a thriving, lush, cool green lawn. Bare spots, weeds, moss, it all looks rather in need of care. To make things worse, your next door neighbour has a sweeping expanse of deep green perfection. But don't despair, like most gardening, lawn care doesn't need to be hard or complicated ? nor is it particularly time consuming or expensive. Spring is the perfect time to breathe new life into your beleaguered lawn to prepare it for the summer ahead.

If you have a moss problem then this needs to be tackled first. Fortunately, control is easy - just use an EverGreen lawn care product that contains a mosskiller. EverGreen Complete is an ideal solution as it has a specialist 4in1 formulation that will treat moss, control weeds, provide nutrients for the grass and improve water absorption ? all with just one application.

Having treated the moss, it's time to give the entire lawn a gentle raking to get rid of debris. Be careful to not rake your lawn until after the moss has been killed, or you'll just spread spores all over the place. It's also important to consider how much wear and tear you're your lawn will undergo. If the kids spend all summer using the lawn as a football pitch, then growing fine grass suitable for a bowling green is not a good idea, unless of course you enjoy looking at a big patch of brown dirt. It's important that the grass mix is right for purpose. If you are unsure about what to choose, we'd recommend using EverGreen Multi-Purpose Grass Seed which contains a quality mix of seed suitable for most hard-wearing lawns.

Now let's get rid of those bare patches. Either cut out the bare patch, rake the soil and patch with turf, or, sow new grass seed. EverGreen Lawn Repair Kit is perfect for repairing patches, as it contains both lawn seed and feed.

Next, let's tackle the problem of tackle thatch. Excessive thatch (the layer of dead stems and roots) is a common problem for established lawns. A thick layer of thatch can become a barrier, stopping water and nutrients from getting to the soil. Raking with a wire garden rake, and cutting often should be enough for thatch control. Making sure the lawn has enough air is also important to improve drainage and help the grass grow healthily. To aerate, simply sink a fork into the soil about 10cm deep at spacings of 15centimeters. This will allow water and air to penetrate down to the roots and make sure the lawn can drain easily.

Once done it will be time to dust off the faithful lawnmower and give the lawn a good cut. Set the blades high initially for a grass length of about 3cm (1.5"). If you mow any shorter at this time of year will open the door to weeds like daisies and dandelions. Then your lawn will need mowing regularly - for a utility lawn once a week should do the job, just don't cut it too close.