Tom Strowlger
@garden_with_tom
The month of May brings us gardeners such joy and pleasure; the longer and warmer days really do bring our gardens to life. We can enjoy the outside much more and get excited about the forthcoming summer months. However, before we get comfortable in our deckchair, the preparation for our summer garden isn’t quite done, so let’s use this month to tick a few more jobs off our gardening list.
The lawn grass will now be enjoying the warmer weather so we can cut it more frequently, but not too short as we want the grass to flourish in the summer months.
A longer grass leaf supports a healthier lawn, as longer grass can help the lawn cope with dry spells. If you have any bare patches in your lawn, then this would be an ideal time to hand sow grass seed into gaps to ensure germination in time for summer.
May is considered the last month for planting summer bulbs, corms, rhizomes and tubers including Gladioli, Freesia, Begonia and Dahlia. We want them to make sure they fully establish and achieve the growth and flowers during the peak summer season. Dahlia is a floral favourite of mine and they can be planted this month to get a summer flower display that will delight us all the way to the first frost in autumn. Dahlias will thrive in well-drained soil with full sun.
The new green vines of climbers like Clematis, Jasmine, Wisteria and Honeysuckle should be tied and supported onto a fence, arch or wall. We can use green string, plant rings and wire to secure them. We want our climbers to successfully flower, look neat and tidy, and to grow into the shape we want, plus prevent vine and branch damage on windier days.
I am hand sowing summer annuals into gaps in the beds and borders. The seeds include Californian Poppy, Cosmos, Borage, Cornflower and Daisy. We need to make sure the seed settles into raked soil, with a gentle watering every few days. These is nothing better than filling these gaps with even more summer
floral colour.
The seeds we sow and the plants we grow will need to be kept moist to keep them growing happily throughout the warmer months. We should water our plants early in the morning or later in the evening, this ensures the water gets into the ground and evaporation is minimised. Do remember to water at the base of plants to get the water into the root systems.
Many of the spring bulbs will have flowered and flourished and be at the end of their growing season, therefore we can carefully lift and divide any overcrowded daffodils and spring flowering bulbs and plant into new areas of the garden ready for next spring’s display.
We should take extra care to notice leaf eating lily beetles on our lilies and nutrient sucking aphids on green shoots. We can use an old toothbrush to brush off the lily beetles and grubs and a soap based water to spray off the aphids. These techniques will need to be repeated every week to achieve the best growing and flowering results.
The wildlife in the garden will be very active at this time of year, they will be feeding up their hungry youngsters. When doing any garden projects, we should check for nests and wildlife as we wouldn’t want to disturb them whilst they tend to their cherished youngsters.
As a passionate gardener I delight in the month of May because we can look back on our springtime gardening achievements with a cheerful smile and yet marvel in what is still to come in the summertime.
Please do follow me on Instagram
@garden_with_tom for more seasonal gardening advice and tips.
Try creating a hanging basket or two, they offer elevated floral colour near front or back doors, giving us a welcoming feel to our homes. We can set about cramming our baskets with fuchsia, begonia, geraniums, lobelia, viola, petunia and salvia. The key to successful hanging baskets is to water regularly, we want them to stay green and lush in the months to come.
We can use the warmer days to paint and maintain our garden fences, wooden benches, and sleepers-to smarten up the garden. It’s a good time to consider new outdoor furniture as we will have the rest of the gardening season to enjoy it.
So, as we go to one gardening job to another, we should take a moment to stand still and be mindful to live in that very moment, to breathe in the fresh East Anglian air and appreciate all that is good about the outdoors and remember that the garden is our own private sanctuary.
Please do follow me on Instagram @garden_with_tom for more seasonal gardening advice and tips.
This month’s top tips:
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Support your tall and delicate plants with plant supports and canes
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Keep pulling up fast growing weeds by the roots
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Open greenhouse windows and doors on warm days
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Clean bird baths and feeders
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Treat wooden garden furniture