May…. the fervor in gardening really hits in this month. Fair weather gardeners join us, the Chelsea flower show is all over the TV and everywhere you look it is lush and green. I love this month as everything looks so fresh and there is so much promise. So grab your gloves and get out there, here are a few things you can do or alternatively just take a cuppa out there on a sunny day and absorb the sights and sounds!
- Dead head camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons being careful to not damage the new leaf buds.
- Clip topiary to keep the shape tidy.
- Go shopping for your summer bedding and plant up your hanging baskets and pots.
- Now is a good time to take softwood cuttings of lots of shrubs and perennials such as penstemons, hydrangeas, fuschias, sambucus.
- Lift and divide congested clumps of primulas.
- Continue to tie in climbers and support perennials where needed.
- Keep your eye out for lily beetles and do the necessary if you discover them (‘necessary’ means lifting ones foot, strategically placing foot then lowering foot!)
- Cut pulmonarias down to just above soil level and feed to encourage fresh new foliage.
- Trim leaves and faded flowers from oriental poppies to encourage more flowers.
- Don’t forget the weeding! Now is also a good time to mulch borders with bark which will help to reduce the number of weeds in the future.
