May

The abundance of fresh colour in May is heart warming. Paeonies and Alliums burst full of life and give the garden a radiance of colour whilst Tulips fade away into the background with graceful elegance. Aquilegias come into their prime and flower profusely like theres no tomorrow and ferns uncoil with acid greens and autmnal golds to dress the ground with unbeatable freshness. Blossom trees take centre stage and the garden takes on it’s own with unbeatable freshness and presence.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/09 | Permalink to this article

Vegetables

Broccoli, Peas, Spring Onions, Parsnips, Carrots and French Beans can continue to be sown outdoors as now can Sweetcorn, Courgettes and Runner Beans. Earlier sowings of Broad Beans should be ready for harvesting, as should those of Carrots and First Early Potatoes that have been grown indoors.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Lawncare in may

Lawns should now be being regularly cut but again don’t be tempted to cut it too short. Lawns that are kept extremely short will perform less well than those of around 1” (2.5cm) in height and are more prone to drying out, weeds and bare patches. If you haven’t already you can feed your lawn now for the summer and treat any weeds as they appear.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Summer Bedding

If mild enough and in a frost free area summer bedding can be planted into containers and baskets but keep an eye on the weather as a cold night can do a lot of damage and cost you a lot of money. Summer bedding needs a lot of nutrients and water throughout the summer and so a generous application of a slow release fertiliser into the compost with an equally generous amount of water retaining crystals will ensure even healthy growth and help reduce watering needs. After planting your summer bedding don’t be afraid to nip out the tips as this will encourage bushier growth and more flower production through the summer. When buying bedding look closely at the plants before buying them. If plants are very leggy, pale or yellowing don’t buy them go elsewhere and get better quality plants for your money and check over the plants for any signs of white fly and other pests.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Perennials

Garden Centres should be filling to the brim with herbaceous perennials for planting out now in your garden. Again shop around, as there are usually lots of offers on. Most garden centres deal with the same suppliers and so you tend to find choice can be a little limited, but often every garden centre has the odd surprise with an unusual plant. Those that still grow their own plants will quite often have some interesting specimens at good prices and so are well worth checking out. More unusual plants can be bought from specialist growers and mail order, which can be found in the yearly edition of Plant Finder.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Summer Flowering Bulbs

If you haven’t purchased summer flowering bulbs its not too late though you will find the choice will be limited and bulb quality may be poor. However, mail order catalogues will usually have some fantastic offers on to clear out remaining stock and this is a good opportunity to save some money if you don’t mind being restricted on choice.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Hedges

Ornamental and boundary hedges can be trimmed now to get them back into shape for the summer but do check them for nesting birds beforehand. Hedges put in a lot of work to create new growth, which we then cut off and throw away without, given them anything to recharge their batteries on so a general application of blood, fish and bone around the base of them will improve the quality of a hedge through the season

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Annuals

Most hardy annuals can be sown direct into the garden now in clumps or drifts to fill gaps. Keep an eye on them and other new shoots as they come through, as they will be a buffet for slugs and snails. If you use slug pellets in the garden remember you only need 3-4 pellets around a plant to protect it not a handful.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Seeds

Perennials can also be grown in pots from seed now or you can take cuttings from the developing shoots on plants such as Delphiniums and Lupins before they get too big.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Feeding

A general application of blood, fish and bone on flower beds this month will help feed the new growth that is coming through and ensure healthy development and good flowering this year. If you have plants such as Agapanthus that don’t tend to flower, give them an application of Potash to kick flower development into action for the summer.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Bulbs

Tulips that have finished flowering should be deadheaded and fed with general purpose liquid feed (available from Garden Centres) to encourage flower development and healthy bulbs. Daffodil leaves that have gone brown can now be removed but don’t be too keen to remove the green ones, as they are there to feed the bulb and help next years flower develop.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Flowering Shrubs

Trim back into shape shrubs that have finished flowering to encourage bushier growth through the summer. Rhododendrons and Azaleas will benefit from a good feed after their floral displays this spring using an ericaceous feed (available from Garden Centres). Personally I would give them a liquid feed now to give them a boost and apply a slow release ericaceous feed in 4 weeks. If these bushes are of a manageable size you can dead head them but be careful not to damage the new shoot developing just below the old flower head.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

General Gardening in May

Everywhere colour is unfolding and foliage developing at a rapid rate. Keep on top of things now to make summer easier by clearing away any damaged growth that may be susceptible to disease. Placing support frames or canes around plants that you know will need help will allow the supports to become covered and so look less obtrusive later in the year. Peonies will benefit from this early on as their leaves become quite broad and difficult to push through frames later in the year. If your not wishing to collect seed from Aquilegias, dead head them as the flowers go over to encourage a longer flowering period.

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article

Plants of Interest in Garden Centres in May

• Fritillaria (FLOWERS)
• Wisteria (FLOWERS)
• Paeonia (FLOWERS)
• Allium (FLOWERS)
• Late Tulips (FLOWERS)
• Papaver (FLOWERS)
• Aquilegia (FLOWERS)
• Primulas (FLOWERS)
• Centaurea (FLOWERS)
• Magnolia (FLOWERS)
• Auricula (FLOWERS)
• Dierama (FLOWERS)
• Rhododendron (FLOWERS)
• Bluebells (FLOWERS)
• Pulsatilla (FLOWERS)
• Clematis (FLOWERS)
• Erysimum (FLOWERS)
• Prunus (FLOWERS)
• Bergenia (FLOWERS)
• Amelanchier (FLOWERS)
• Iris (FLOWERS
• Lupin (FLOWERS)
• Summer Bedding (FLOWERS)
• Ribes (FLOWERS)
• Viburnum (FLOWERS)

Written by Day Lily on 2007/05/06 | Permalink to this article