My May Garden

Lisa Hunter • May 6, 2021

May has arrived and the days are getting warmer and longer. Summer is on its way and it's time to tidy up spring plants, plant out summer flowers and get planning for autumn.

Timely Tips for May

Start planting out summer bedding plants towards the end of this month
Look after your finished spring bulbs for next year. Once they’ve gone over, resist the temptation to cut back the foliage. Instead, let it die and break down on its own and add liquid fertiliser all around the clumps. This will give you an even better display next spring.
Remember to open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days. You can also damp down your greenhouse on hot days to increase humidity and deter red spider mites.
Optimise your watering regime — watering early and late to get the most out of your water — and start collecting and recycling water whenever possible.

In the flower garden in May

Plant summer hanging baskets, adding good-quality compost, slow-release fertiliser and water-retaining crystals, to keep them in top condition. Protect them from late frost under cover. Try planting petunia 'Pegasus Wine Splash' for cascading stems of brightly spotted blooms.
Continue dividing herbaceous border perennials to improve vigour and create new plants.
Trim back spreading plants such as aubrieta, alyssum and candytuft (Iberis sp.) after they’ve flowered, to encourage fresh new growth and more blooms.
Take cuttings of tender perennials, such as fuchsia and pelargoniums (tender geraniums). The new shoots of hardy perennials can also be used for cuttings.
Take softwood cuttings of shrubby herbs (such as sage and lemon verbena).
Tie in rambling and climbing roses. Laying the stems horizontally will help to produce more flowers.
Tie in sweet pea plants with sweet pea support rings to encourage them to climb.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs after flowering.
Trim lavender plants, cutting off old flower heads and about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of the current year's growth.
Feed and water container plants.
Top-dress permanent pot plants to refresh the compost.
Supplement container plants with balanced liquid feed every 2-4 weeks to promote healthy growth.
Look out for signs of blackspot on roses. If discovered, treat it with a systemic fungicide.
Continue to weed beds and borders. This reduces your plants’ competition for water and nutrients.
Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs.

In the vegetable garden in May

Continue earthing up potatoes.
Harvest asparagus spears when they are no more than 18 cm tall.
Thin out direct-sown vegetables such as spinach, carrot and lettuce seedlings, then water the rows well.
Pinch out the growing points of broad beans as soon as beans start to appear at the base of the plant to reduce the risk of blackfly attack.
Make supports for your runner beans, using 8 ft (2.4 m) bamboo canes.

In the fruit garden in May

Protect strawberry plants with straw (to control weeds and lift the berries off the ground) and netting (to keep birds off the fruit).
Harvest rhubarb, picking only one-third of the total amount of stems.
Keep young fruit trees well-watered while they are putting on rapid growth.
Remove blossom and fruits from newly planted fruit trees to help them establish properly during their first year.
Erect garden netting around soft fruit plants to prevent birds eating your crop.

Looking after your lawn in May

Apply lawn weedkiller to your lawn this month.
Feed your lawn with a high-nitrogen fertiliser to encourage healthy green growth.
Water the grass during hot weather — that’s particularly important for newly seeded or turfed lawns. Never allow new lawns to dry out.
Lower mower blades to their regular summer-cut height.

For more advice, tips and to order your plants, vegetable seeds and shrubs, visit Moss End Garden Village today and we’d be only too happy to help.

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