Spring has sprung!

This is a great time of year; we're done with the worst of the winter, the sun is starting to feel a little warmer, the light has changed and the days are getting longer. Soon we'll be putting the clocks forward and British Summer Time will be officially underway.

In our industry, the season has started and it'll be flat out until the end of the year and unless you're organised, life will be harder than it need be and your business will be less profitable than it ought to be.

So think now about what you need on your vans over the summer. Make sure you've got the right tools for the job and ensure they are sharp and well maintained.

Make sure you've got all the spares you need to maintain your clients' gardens too.

For irrigation, systems make sure you've got double and triple tap packs, irrigation timers, batteries, sprinklers, drip-line and pipe joiners.

For ponds, make sure you've got spare UV lamps, some G4 sealer and a PondoVac.

For garden lighting, make sure you carry spare lamps, heat shrink and cable connectors.

As a contractor, you don't want to get caught short and not have the spares you need to get the job done on the day, and you definitely don't want to have to make a special trip back just for the sake of some spare parts that cost a few pounds.

Don't forget to make sure you check out our Essentials range too, we've got all the basics at rock bottom prices. We've got trade quality gaffa tape, tarps, floor protection, flex tubs gloves, rope, rubble sacks, line marker spray, flagging tape, brick lines, safety tapes, WD40, hand wipes and screwdriver bits all at proper trade prices, not the prices you might see in your builders merchants.

Stock up now and have a good summer.

What to expect in 2015

Coming out of one of the wettest winters ever recorded, it was a huge surprise to everyone that 2014 was, on the whole, a good year for our industry.

No-one could have expected that after all the rain, 2014 would have been one of the nicest summers for many years. Sustained periods of warm sun coupled with long days had the desired effect of tempting people back outside to start using their gardens. With the first warmth of spring, everyone jumped at the chance to get outside and, as the heat of the summer began to build, we all started to enjoy being in the garden once again; sitting back with the newspaper and a cup of coffee on the terrace, relaxing in the sun after a long day at work, having family and friends around for a weekend barbecue and not to mention the occasional dinner party or hot-tub drink.

It's hard to imagine that this time last year the BBC gorged itself on endless reports showing the flooding over great swathes of Somerset and the Thames Valley; people's houses and businesses submerged under meters of water, livestock having to be moved to higher ground, whole areas unrecognisable from the air and you'll remember at the time, it felt like the rain would never stop.

Luckily, all the al-fresco living that we enjoyed triggered something of an upsurge in gardens being built and gardens being renovated. Customers really saw the value in spending on their gardens, they saw an immediate benefit of being able to enjoy their outside space. Furthermore, because the summer wasn't a one-week-wonder, customers have continued to spend money on their gardens over the winter with a view to maximising the summertime in 2015.

So, with the forward momentum of 2014 pushing us into 2015, let's all look forward to a busy and buoyant season this year.