British winters are rarely dramatic. They are simply long, wet and grey, and a small garden feels every week of it. By March the pots are silted up with dead leaves, the patio has a greenish sheen, and last year's perennials are a brown tangle. The advantage of a compact plot is that it can be reset in a weekend — as long as you work in the right order. Here is a ten-point checklist, from the ground up.

1. Clear the ground before you do anything else

Start with the boring job, because everything afterwards depends on it. Sweep paths, patios and decking first, then move into the beds. Wet leaves sitting on soil through winter have given slugs and snails somewhere to hide, and they smother the new shoots of low growers such as thyme, saxifrage and hellebores.

Work with a bucket and a hand fork rather than a large bag; it keeps you moving and stops you dumping soil on the lawn. On gravel, a soft brush does more than a rake. Anything diseased — blackened rose leaves, spotted hellebore foliage — belongs in the bin, not the compost heap.

While you are down there, check gullies, drains and the base of downpipes. A blocked drain is the usual reason a small patio stays damp and slippery well into April.

2. Cut back — but not everything

Herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses left standing for structure and seed heads can now be cut to about 5cm, ideally once fresh growth is pushing through at the base. Leaving the old stems slightly longer protects new shoots from a late frost.

Resist tidying shrubs with the same enthusiasm. Spring-flowering types — forsythia, flowering currant, early clematis — should be pruned after flowering, not before, or you will cut off the buds you have been waiting for. Lavender and other Mediterranean herbs need only a light trim of last year's flower stalks; cutting into bare old wood rarely regrows.

Hold off on evergreens, and on anything marginally tender, if frost is forecast. Sharp secateurs and a clean cut do far less damage than a bruised one.

3. Weed, then mulch the beds

Hand-weed before the soil warms and everything germinates at once. Annual weeds lift easily after rain. Perennial roots such as ground elder or bindweed need patience and a fork, teasing out as much root as you can rather than snapping it.

Mulch once the soil has warmed and drained — usually mid to late spring in most of the UK. A 5cm layer of well-rotted organic matter suppresses weeds and holds moisture through dry spells. Keep it clear of stems and crowns, and never mulch over waterlogged clay; you will simply trap the wet in.

4. Reset the pots and containers

Containers take the hardest hit over winter. Empty standing water from saucers, scrub the outside of glazed pots and check that drainage holes are clear. Cracked terracotta is worth replacing now rather than after a plant has spent a season in it.

For established plants, scrape off the top few centimetres of old compost, replace it with fresh, then top-dress with a slow-release feed as growth restarts. Anything rootbound can move into a pot one size larger; going bigger than that leaves wet compost around the roots with nothing to drink it.

• Tip pots on to their side and check the compost for vine weevil larvae — white, C-shaped grubs.
• Look for clusters of translucent slug eggs under rims and saucers.
• Wipe the leaves of overwintered evergreens and bay with a damp cloth to shift dust and sooty mould.

5. Wake the lawn up gently

The first cut of the year should be on the highest setting, on a dry day when the ground is neither frozen nor squelchy underfoot. Cutting wet grass tears it and clogs the mower; cutting frozen grass damages the crowns.

Once growth is properly underway, rake out dead thatch, fork over compacted corners where a bench or washing line has stood, and overseed bare patches with a mix suited to shade or wear. Little and often beats one heavy feed. If moss is the main problem, deal with the drainage and shade behind it — raking it out each spring without changing the conditions is a chore you will repeat forever.

6. Clean the hard surfaces and structures

Green algae on paving is slippery and makes the whole garden look tired. A jet wash shifts it quickly, but work in sections and keep the spray away from beds, because it strips soil and mulch. On decking, check for soft or spongy boards and loose fixings while the surface is clean and dry.

Wooden fences and trellis benefit from a brush down and, where needed, a preservative — follow the tin's guidance, and cover or move nearby plants so run-off does not reach them. Tighten loose posts, replace rusted vine eyes and check that wall brackets still hold. It is far easier now than in June, when everything is growing over them.

Finishing touches and a sensible order of work

With the garden clear you can see what is missing. Small plots rely on layers: something evergreen for structure, something scented by the door, and a few pots that can be moved around to cover bare patches as the season shifts. This is the moment to sow hardy annuals, plant up a support for sweet peas or climbing beans, and put a water butt in place before summer.

If you only have one clear weekend, work in this sequence — it saves doing jobs twice.

1. Sweep and clear all hard surfaces.
2. Weed and tidy the beds.
3. Cut back perennials and prune only what genuinely needs it.
4. Clean, feed and repot containers.
5. Mow, rake and repair the lawn.
6. Wash down paving, decking and fences.
7. Mulch, plant and water in.

Do the messy jobs first and the finishing jobs last, and a small garden will look a full season ahead of where it was. Leave one corner a little untidy for the wildlife, and you will have a space that works for everything living in it.

Photo: sessions-photography / Pixabay