IF YOU'VE got your mower out for the first time this year and found a sorry excuse for a lawn, now's the time for some maintenance and patchwork to make sure it's up to scratch.

Like all living things, grass needs air and water to thrive, so with a metal rake clear off the moss which has grown over the winter and dispose of it.

Meanwhile, scarifying the lawn removes thatch, the build-up of dead and rotting organic matter at the base of living roots.

A second rake is needed in the autumn to remove fallen leaves and debris and prepares the lawn for reseeding.

The lawn also probably needs aerating now. You can do this by driving a fork into the lawn at regular intervals to make holes.

Lawn aeration also helps the soil temperature to rise more quickly and the surface to breathe. The holes should be filled with sharp sand to improve drainage.

If you see weeds emerging, tackle them with a fertiliser and weedkiller mixture or, if you don't want to use chemicals, put a pinch of salt at the centre of large weeds, which should kill them off.

Watch out too for wormcasts, which produce ideal conditions for growing weed seeds. The tiny mounds of soil may contain dormant weed seeds, so scatter them with a brush before mowing and use a grass box for the clippings.

Wormcasts may be unsightly but try to put up with them because worms provide valuable surface drainage to areas and help mix organic matter deep into your soil.

Then there is the question of bare patches, which you will need to seed. Make sure you select a suitable grass seed - have you got velvety ornamental grass or a more practical, hardwearing type?

The bare patch will need forking over to a depth of about 15cm (6in), removing any weeds or stones and the soil should be levelled with a rake and allowed to settle for a few days. Once you come to sow your seed, you will nee

around a good handful per square metre or yard. You can scatter it by hand, lightly raking the area to partially cover it. Most of the seed left on top will still germinate.

Try to avoid sowing seed in dry weather. Do it when the ground is damp and don't water the seeds until they have germinated or you are likely to wash the seed into patches. New seedlings should appear within one to three weeks.

To protect your seed from birds, put down some posts around the area and stretch across string tied with lengths of silver foil to scare them off.

When your grass has reached about two inches in height, give the area a gentle roll to prompt "tillering", which activates growth buds at the base of the leaves.

When the area has grown to about 3in, you can give it a cut using the highest setting on your mower blade to remove only the minimum of grass.

If your lawn edges are overgrown, invest in a sharp pair of long-handled edge trimmers to give a neat finish once your lawn has been mowed. It will transform the look of your garden.

As for the rest of your lawn, give it a good feed now using either a lawn spreader, or apply a liquid feed with a watering can.

If it doesn't rain within two days of you spreading solid fertiliser, water the lawn yourself or it may become scorched.

Hopefully if you follow these tips, you will see your lawn returned to its true verdant splendour.

PLANT OF THE WEEK -

BERGENIA, commonly known as elephant's ears, thanks to its large leaves, is a valuable evergreen perennial.

In spring it forms spreading clumps from thick rhizomes, which produce clusters of bell-shaped flowers in shades of white and pink to red.

They thrive in well-drained, humus-rich soil in sun or partial shade and provide great ground cover, growing to around 3ft tall and are effective when planted with lower growing more undisciplined species such as ajuga.

A worthwhile species is B.

Bressingham White', which has clusters of pure white long-lasting flowers on top of stout reddish stems.

Another good bet is B.

Ballawley', whose low clumps of glossy leaves turn purplish-red in winter, producing clusters of crimson flowers in spring.

They can be left for years without attention, although clumps can be separated with a knife in spring and replanted immediately.

GARDENING CHORES

Repot fruit plants if necessary.

Sow begonias and geraniums in a heated propagator.

Continue to cover planting areas with cloches to warm the soil.

Hoe beds and borders to stop weed seedlings establishing.

Hard prune Perovskia to ground level.

When flowers fade on Japanese quince, shorten the flowered shoots to three buds.

Trim alpines to stop them spreading beyond their allotted space.

Lift, divide and replant chives and sorrel.

Stake hardy perennials.

:: Begin liquid feeding pot plants.

:: Continue sowing seed of summer bedding.

:: Keep bird feeders and baths well stocked.

TIME-SAVING TIP

SAVE time by using capillary matting to water plants in the greenhouse.

It should be soaked once a day to provide a reservoir for plants.