Blue Daisy Blog

Every month brings with it a list of jobs that need doing in the garden and May is no exception!  This is a busy time of year generally and this year is no exception. Everything is a little late because of this year's weather but there is much to do.  Your garden will benefit from TLC this month to give it the best chance of performing well for you during the summer months.  Some May garden jobs for that list of yours...

Summer should be well on its way this month with warmer and longer days but given the April we've had this year there's a delayed feeling in the gardens right now.  Although everything is looking particularly lush and green hopefully our May gardens will catch up and start to look more like they should with flowers blooming and bursting with colour and fragrance soon. 

We have a few brave tulips and spring bulbs looking vibrant, remember though there is still a chance of an occasional frost so be ready to cover tender plants.  New shoots found on plants like hostas are tender too and will need protection from cold winds and late frosts – have newspapers or fleeces ready and hold them down with large stones over night.

I think most of you who know me and/or read my blogs know that I'm quite passionate about the horticultural industry and I always encourage my customers to learn new skills in their garden.  In Victorian times we had so much knowledge and many skills we were world leaders in the horticultural industry.  These skills were being passed down the generations, sadly both World War 1 & 2  took many lives and with them the vast horticultural knowledge and skills we had disappeared. 

I am so pleased to read in the RHS magazine that the RHS has recently begun to lobby the government for the first time regarding this industry and as such children in England could be taking gardening lessons at school from September 2014.  The proposed changes could apply to children in both primary and secondary schools who could learn how to cultivate plants for practical purposes whether that is for food or for decorative displays.  

There is also linked to this a distinct lack of careers advice for school leavers for this industry which means that many school leaves either don't consider that horticulture is an option or it is seen as an industry to enter if you have failed at school. I know we can't change everything overnight, it saddens me that some people feel that horticulture is a dead end job but where would we be without crops for food, trees for timber and of course every plant in existence allows us humans to breath and exist.  

I am so pleased that there may indeed be a few organisations out there lobbying for our industry, well done to those that have put horticulture on the agenda and I will play my small part to encourage my team to continue to learn every day as I will and also my customers to pick up a trowel and have a go!

Please, if you feel as I do about our wonderful industry share this article on Facebook or Twitter, contact me and give me your thoughts and opinions and if you have children talk to them about their options which could include horticulture.

Some of the jobs that can be done in your garden this month are:

• Dividing perennials - any plants that you didn't get to last month, now's the time to replant them around your garden to increase your border stocks (or give to friends if you don't have any space in your own garden!)
• Keep weeding the borders, annual weeds should be easy to pull out by hand but the perennials will need digging out
• If you haven't cut back your ornamental grasses yet this is the last chance to do it or there may well be a chance of damaging the emerging shoots
• Get sowing your annuals

By now we will normally have noticed an injection of colour in our gardens, the spring bulbs are usually out in force, other plant leaves are unfurling and trees are often awash with blossom at this time of year making it feel as though life is most definitely stirring!  The birds are usually singing, insects are usually starting to show themselves and often the bees are out making the most of the early nectar from the spring flowers. 

That's not happening so much this year.  With March being the coldest one for years our gardens are taking their time getting going but the weather is due to change and when the warmer temperatures do get to us we know that our gardens will just 'burst' into sudden life.  One of the up sides to a cold March is that the planning time for your garden is extended slightly so if you're thinking of a change there is still time to physically make it before your garden really wakes up. 

Keep your eyes open for any pests like slugs and snails and the dreaded vine weevil.   If like us here at Blue Daisy you don't want to use chemicals it is the time to purchase biological controls such as Nemasys for vine weevils and Nemaslug for those pesky slugs!

Chances are you've been reticent about getting tender plants or seedlings outside but if you have ventured out take care still as frosts can still damage them so have some horticultural fleece or even an old newspaper at the ready to cover them during those colder nights.  If you don't have either and can bring them indoors remember to take them back out the next day.

Spring is a great time for scent in the garden and if you don't have anything now is the perfect time to go out and buy yourself something that will add another dimension to your garden at this time of the year. Some to consider are, for example, Viburnam, Philadelphus, Daphne, Wisteria and Magnolias but be sure to double check before you buy because not every variety of these plants has a scent.

If you have a vegetable garden you'll be a busy bee making sure the ground is prepared and heated sufficiently enough to plant those tender seedlings that will hopefully produce an abundance of tasty treats for you later in the year!  Remember though the trick is to sow seeds every few weeks or so to make sure you get an ongoing supply of produce that you can cope with rather than being inundated with things like courgettes...yes, we've all done it with courgettes!!