Roll up your sleeves…May is the month when the garden really starts to get going, and there’s plenty to do. This is such a wonderful time of year, when there’s warmth in the air and soil and the garden is hinting at the promise of summer.
Looking good this month (and all available at The Big Plant Nursery):
- Rhododendrons, we like ‘Wine and Roses’ and ‘Melle’ (an evergreen Azaela)
- Peonies such as ‘Cora Louisa’, ‘Canary Brilliants’ and ‘Old Rose Dandy’
- Erysium ‘Bowles Mauve’
- Armeria pseudarmeria ‘Ballerina Red’
- Agapanthus africanus ‘Albus’
- Salvia
- Bergenia ‘Fire and Ice’
- Viburnum plicatum tomentosum ‘Mariesii’ and ‘Kilimanjaro Sunrise’
- Climbers such as Clematis Montana (we like ‘Warwick Rose’ and ‘Early Sensation’) and Wisteria
- Ceanothus ‘Concha’
Quick guide:
1. Start mowing the lawn setting your blade to a higher setting to begin with, then lowering it as the season goes on.
2. Check for nesting birds before clipping hedges.
3. Regularly hoe off weeds.
4. Stay alert for pests, especially aphids and lily beetles which start to build up now and pick them off immediately.
5. Open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days.
6. Collect rainwater and investigate ways to recycle water for irrigation.
7. Watch out for late frosts. Protect tender plants.
8. Put supports in place for tall perennials. Now is also a good time to plant out perennials.
9. Plant out summer bedding at the end of the month (except in cold areas).
If you are having difficulty keeping on top of things, don’t forget we offer a garden maintenance service <find out more>