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. 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. With the wet winter we've had everything  seems to have exploded - not only the plants but also  pests are out with a vengence.  Our May gardens are starting to inject more colour and vibrancy into our outdoor spaces with flowers coming into bloom thick and fast.

Tulips are already up and gracing us with their presence, remember though that 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 if the forecast is for cold.

April usually brings with it 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. 

Keep your eyes open for any pests like slugs and snails and the dreaded vine weevil.   

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!!

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

A few jobs that can be done this month:

• Prune heathers by removing dead flower heads being careful not to cut into old wood
• Keep on top of and remove germinating weeds
• Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials to encourage invigorated growth and increase your garden stock
• Gently scarify your lawn if not done in the autumn
• Mow lawns on a high setting for the first few cuts
• Lay turf or seeds from the end of this month and into April