Gardening Jobs For May

May plants

• Iris ‘Holden Clough’
• Delphinium Guinevere
• Hosta ‘Platinum Tiara’
• Solomon’s seal
• Aquilegias

(all available at Palmers)

May Jobs Checklist

• Keep vulnerable plants protected at night
  
• Tidy your borders & get rid of weeds
  
• Prevent dandelions setting seed
  
• Water pots and hanging baskets
• Feed bodrers (general purpose fertiliser)
  
• Thin out annuals
  
• Plant summer bedding plants
  
• Feed camellias & rhododendrons
  
• Spray roses with fungicide
  
• Mow lawn weekly, feed monthly
• Harvest early Rhubarb
• Plant out brassicas
• Earth up potatoes
• Hunt for slugs & snails after dark!

General Maintenance

Hopefully the weather is set to improve, but beware, plants can still suffer from frost.

• keep vulnerable, new shoots protected at night
• leave putting out tender bedding until mid May
• continue spring cleaning – tidying your borders and getting rid of weeds
• Dandelions are a common weed at this time of year, if you don’t have time to pull them out at the root then chop off their heads to prevent them from setting seeds
• DON’T FORGET TO WATER!! Invest in an automatic watering system which is more economical, or collect water
• add general purpose fertiliser to the soil and mulch. If you have already mulched, try pulling it back and adding fertiliser beneath

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Flowers and Plants

• thin annuals to prevent them from becoming too spindly
• cut off old foliage from flowering perennials
• deadhead Daffodils and Tulips
• sow hardy annuals like Nasturtiums
• SUMMER BEDDING IS NOW AVAILABLE AT PALMERS
• plant up containers and pots to add colour to your garden
• cut wispy, dead wood off your Japanese Maples
• don’t forget to feed your Cameillias and Rhododendrons with ericaceous feed
• spray your Roses with fungicide to keep off mildew and black spot.

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Lawns

• seed new lawns now, this is your last chance. Remember to cover to keep the birds away.
• mow your lawns regularly – once a week if needed. Avoid mowing if there is a frost
• feed established lawns if you haven’t already

Fruit

• protect your fruit trees with netting to keep the birds off
• caterpillars and greenfly will start to appear, pick off caterpillars when you see them, and try a greenfly pesticide (available at Palmers)
• harvest early Rhubarb
• mulch around your Strawberries

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Vegetables

• sow your vegetable seeds. Always check the instructions on the packet
• plant out your Brassicas if they’ve been growing in the greenhouse
• earth up your early crop potatoes and plant your main crop
• weed between your vegetables
• VEGETABLE PLANTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT PALMERS including Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Peppers

Don’t Forget The Birds

The birds now have a family to feed so they will be working very hard to raise their chicks.

• make sure you put out fresh water
• put out food, mealworms and mixed seeds
• give your bird table a good clean and check that it’s sturdy and in good condition.

Garden Pests

The slugs and snails are now in abundance, eating your Tulips and any delicious young shoots

• put down pet friendly slug pellets
• remember, they love Hostas and their big tasty leaves, so soak the ground beneath them with liquid slug killer

Happy May in the garden!