Hello March. We have been looking forward to seeing you. Please don’t let us down.

I know spring is springing. The birds are singing, the spring bulbs are blooming, the mornings and evenings are getting lighter and the sun shone for a morning last week. Winter is always a challenge for those working outdoors but this one seems to have gone on and on and on and on.

As one of the local farmers said, ‘The trouble is, our winters are eight months long and then we get three months of bad weather.’

I know that wasn’t the case last year, and it probably won’t be long before I am writing about how hot and/or dry it is, but right now I’d just love a week of blue skies and sunshine. C’mon March, strut your stuff.

One of the first jobs I am going to do as soon as we do get a few ‘joined-up’ dry days, is to tackle the slippery stone slabs around the cottage – and in clients’ gardens. They are just lethal after so much wet weather.

The wet and mild-ish winter will have meant that moss, lichen and algae has thrived in different forms, including black spot, a dust-like lichen that originates from plants and trees. It colonises on paved areas, sending tendrils or ‘hyphae’ down into any cracks or porous surfaces, searching for nutrients. It then takes about two or three years to become established below the surface before creating a slippery residue on the surface of paving.

Pressure washing is a common go-to solution for slippery slabs. But I’m not a huge fan as it’s so messy and often ‘blows’ the grouting out of paved areas. For years I have used the moss, lichen and algae remover, Patio Magic with good results. It contains plant-based ingredients and no harsh chemicals, with the biodegradable formula being gentle on the environment. When used as directed, the cleaners are completely safe for plants and pets, with pets being able to use the area once dry.

Apparently, it also creates an environment that is far less hospitable to the microorganisms that cause the slippery surfaces. It’s also easy to use. Just spray, wait, and rinse. Although I have never rinsed. Applications are recommended every three months for best maintenance but I usually apply in the spring (now) and again in late autumn. I didn’t treat my slabs last year and have regretted it every time I walk (or slide) on them.

The product ‘Wet and Forget’ also seems to work in the same way but I’ve not tried it.

Monty Don prefers to pressure wash or use sharp sand from the builders, advising, “Apply it very lightly and use a stiff yard broom to scour it back and forth. It will be effective for quite a few weeks at a time.”

My nan used to use white vinegar, mixing up a ‘half and half’ mixture of water and vinegar and ‘swooshing’ it over their back yard. I recommend testing a small area first, as vinegar is obviously acidic, and using a sprayer would probably be more effective than ‘swooshing’.

I have read that you leave it for 30 minutes to soak in and then scrub thoroughly with a stiff-bristled brush, before rinsing with clean water. My nan didn’t do that – she just ‘swooshed’.

Other ‘natural’ methods include baking soda, or cheap washing powder, as they are alkaline and will remove the algae. Fairy liquid in hot water is also supposed to ‘do the job’ but these natural options will need ‘reapplying’ monthly to prevent regrowth of the slippery stuff.