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What to do in your garden in May

May 8, 2014 By Jill Anderson

May in the garden is a wonderful month, longer days, rain and warmer weather pushes everything on at a fast pace.

Spend some time mooching around your garden, simple observation is a good way of anticipating problems before they get out of hand.

Then get to grips with what needs doing, I like regular little bursts rather than hours at a time, which just feels like hard work.

General:

  • Use a hoe to scuff out small weeds before they set seed and multiply.
  • Cut the grass each week, but remember that cutting it too short will weaken it.
  • Trim Box topiary for a crisp outline, choose a cloudy day because cut edges discolour if it’s done in sunshine.

Flowers:

  • Sow hardy seeds of flowers, like this Orlaya grandiflora, it flowers for ages and has such pretty, ferny foliage.

hardy annual Orlaya grandiflora

There are plenty of other hardy seeds too, try cornflowers, love-in-a mist, sunflowers, and californian poppies.

love in a mist flower buds

  • Half hardy, more tender seeds can be sown outside at the end of the month when all possibility of frost has gone.

Vegetables:

  • Sow small amounts of salad leaves, carrot and radishes every couple of weeks to have a continual supply through the summer Rather than one big glut.

vegetables growing, coriander, carrots, chinese cabbage,

  • Add soil to the base of early potato plants as they grow,  and plant any other seed potatoes you still have.
  • Cover fruit bushes with netting to protect them from hungry birds.

Garden Pests:

  • Keep an eagle eye out for scarlet lily beetles, remove and squish them before they take hold and ruin your lily plants.
  • Aphids multiply fast at this time of year, they can be sprayed with soapy water or just run a gloved hand gently along the stem to remove them.

Find out about sowing hardy flower seeds in an earlier post here.

Have a good month in the garden and remember to sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy it all.

Jill

All images: Jill Anderson

 

Related posts:

roses grown through woven hazel twigsHow to encourage as many flowers as possible on a plant

Related posts:

roses grown through woven hazel twigsHow to encourage as many flowers as possible on a plant
Filed Under: Gardening, Plants Tagged With: garden tasks for May, hardy flower seeds, Orlaya grandiflora, sow hardy vegetable seeds

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Hello, I’m Jill Anderson.
This is where you’ll find good, solid information about gardening, growing fruit & vegetables and how to keep it all looking good.
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