YOUR GARDEN AND WHAT TO DO THIS MONTH

Follow our essential guide and keep one step ahead

 LATE SPRING (May)

May is an unpredictable month when temperatures can soar up to the eighties in the daytime and drop down below freezing at night; it can also have two weeks of sweltering heat with no rain followed by the next two weeks of cold temperatures and rain.

How does the gardener reconcile all this uncertainty with a plan that includes planting out seedlings along with sowing even more seed? Safety first is the key so carry out planting when possible taking precautions at every stage to protect seedlings and young plants from any adverse weather. 

General list of tasks this month

• Finish off staking taller herbaceous perennials during early growth
• Dead-head and feed bulbs after flowering, and remove unsightly foliage as it dies back
• Plant out bedding plants in any reasonable soil for summer displays
• Select bedding plants carefully, checking for vigour, a good root system and no sign of stress, dryness or pests and diseases
• Watch out for pests such as greenfly, thrips and red spider mites
• Water plants in frames regularly.
• Prune deciduous spring shrubs, such as flowering currant (Ribes), Forsythia and Kerria after flowering
• Sprinkle a general fertiliser around clumps of naturalised spring bulbs
• Continue the routine of lawn mowing and trimming the edges
• Feed the lawn, using granular or liquid fertilizer - it will need feeding again in mid-autumn
• Prepare the ground to create new lawns from turf or sow seed now or later in mid-autumn
• May is a good time to sow or lay a new lawn before autumn
• Plant up the pond with marginal plants, oxygenators such as elodea and water-lilies (Nymphaea)
• Propagate pond plants including iris and water-lilies
• Thin out aquatic plants and replant congested plants in baskets using fresh compost
• Remove any debris or old leaves from ponds with a small net
• Put pumps and fountains back into ponds when risk of freezing weather has passed 

Flower Garden

Due to the late start to the season we are finishing off staking in the borders especially the herbaceous perennials that still need to be discretely constrained so heavy-headed flowers are supported, which would otherwise droop and lose their effect.  This is a good time to start tidying up those bulbs that have provided an early splash of colour.  Daffodils should be dead-headed, snowdrops and crocus on the other hand really should be left to seed allowing them to spread naturally.  I am often asked what should I do with the old foliage and so I tie back the leaves on the taller growing bulbs but do not remove any of it until it starts to turn yellow.  A good dressing of a general fertiliser at this point helps the plants produce good strong bulbs next year.  Tulips should be left in place whilst the foliage fades right away, however it is quite possible to transplant them to some unseen part of the garden where they can be left to fade away slowly in their own time. 

TIPS

• Continue to stake border plants positioning plant support frames over tall growing perennials.
• Plant out sweet peas sown last autumn and sow new plants at the base of supports
• Lift and divide polyanthus and plant them out in shady ‘nursery’ border
• Lift tulips from beds and heel in to ripen
• Plant out gladioli in groups
• Revitalise clumps of perennials by dividing
• Cut down early-flowered herbaceous plants and mulch
• Plant out dahlias and stake immediately
• Plant out half-hardy annuals and tender bedding plants
• Neaten up topiary or box edging with a light trim
• After flowering, prune back stems that have carried blooms on Forsythia and Ribes
• Snip over winter-flowering heathers to remove dead flowers
• Give attention to training shrubs growing against a wall
• Plant container-grown conifers and shrubs
• Spray regularly roses susceptible to mildew or black spot with a fungicide

Lawns

Our lawn is now starting to grow faster and so the frequency needs to be maintained, this year we have decided to let the grass grow slightly longer in an attempt to reduce the impact should we have a hot, dry summer. It is so tempting to raise the front rollers and cut the lawn shorter but with the hosepipe bans in place should there be a need to irrigate then that will become impossible.  We will be ensuring good lawn aeration through the season so that any rain water gets down to the roots and there remains good air exchange in the soil.  Stopping the roots coming to the surface will help reduce the impact of drought on our fine turf and so retain the green foil for the borders and if we need to irrigate we can focus on the more important young plants in the borders rather than the large lawns. 

TIPS

• Continue to mow lawns at regular intervals to create a dense, even sward that smothers weeds and moss
• Aerate the soil to create better drainage and good growing conditions
• If moss treatments were not carried out, or completed, last month, do so now
• Prepare a new lawn site and sow or turf it
• Apply fertilizer to an established lawn after the first mowing 

Greenhouses and Frames

This month is one of the busiest in the nursery area as we prepare plants to move out into the different parts of the garden, bring in many others and start off the autumn production.

The greenhouse is the production centre in our garden and maintaining sufficiently high temperatures is less of a challenge now than keeping a steady constant on those days when suddenly the outside temperature raises making it difficult and the ventilation seems unable to cope. The old trick is to put down some water on the paths and under the benches which helps reduce the temperature and improve the humidity.  During those erratic sunny spells we shade young seedlings and newly potted plants whilst keeping the house well ventilated.  

We try to keep a close eye on the watering needs of younger plants and maintain a regular feeding regime for our established plants.  With the temperatures rising we are finishing off moving the half-hardy annuals and summer bedding plants into a cold frame to harden-off ready to be planted out in the garden.

In the cool greenhouse the young tomatoes in the soil bed we prepared last month are putting on good growth and need to be tied in whilst those side shoots need to be pinched out so that the nutrients go into the right growth areas for the early development of flowers.  To help the flowers to set fruit we will spray them lightly around mid-day in sunny weather, or brush or shake the flowers in dull weather.

Reminders of the many greenhouse tasks we will be involved in this busy month

• Sowing the last of the summer bedding plants including dahlias
• Pricking out a range of seedlings
• Taking cuttings from new shoots on geraniums, chrysanthemums, fuchsias, marguerites and other perennials
• Taking softwood cuttings of a wide range of shrubs and climbers
• Potting on begonias, gloxinias and other plants as they grow
• Plant up crops in growing bags
• Sowing crops in the warm greenhouse include tomatoes, marrows, courgettes, melons, sweet corn and cucumbers
• Sowing seeds of wallflowers, auriculas, polyanthus and biennials for next year’s displays
• Planting up pots, tubs and window boxes for colourful summer displays of bedding plants
• Planting up hanging baskets, flower towers and pouches 

Plant health warnings this month

• Ventilate the greenhouse on warm days to prevent conditions getting too hot, but do remember to close the vents again at night
• Spread a sheet of fleece over plants on benches on very cold nights to provide a little extra protection
• Be careful not to put out tender plants early in the month— there is danger of frost during the night
• Always remember to plant only on good days
• Don’t plant or sow into chilled soil
• Keep off the soil when it is waterlogged
• Have a good supply of easily portable frames and windbreaks handy
• Be prepared to use straw, fleece or newspapers to ward off frost and wind