May is the most wonderful month of the year if you are a gardener. Everything is growing so fast and every day there are new flowers opening. But it is also a very busy time. It is changeover time in the garden as we clear away old bedding and plant out the summer bedding plants.
But we have to be a little cautious because we might still get a frost. There is an area of high pressure to the west at the moment, dragging in artic air for the early part of the week so be careful with your frost-tender plants, especially if you are in exposed, rural areas.
One thing that some people may not be doing is mowing their lawn! It is fashionable to ignore the mowing and let the grass grow in May. Personally, I am not a fan of this fad. Although you may encourage some weeds to bloom in your lawn, of benefit to pollinators, a month of longer grass will not allow caterpillar larvae, many of which feed on grass, to mature. Plus you will have trouble cutting the lawn after a month of growth.
But, of course, long grass is a valuable resource for many creatures which is why I do believe that a patch of long grass should be left somewhere in your garden. I have two long strips of grass, planted with spring bulbs, and these are cut in July, after the bulb leaves have died down, and after many flowers will have set seed, in the same way that wildflower meadows are managed. These have been full of dandelions and mouse-eared chickweed, both of which provide seeds for birds and clumps of white clover are busy with bees.
I also allow the long grass to grow under my native hedges. It is a valuable wildlife habitat. Many wildflowers have moved into these areas including pink lady’s smock, buttercups and geraniums. If you can leave some rough, long grass, even a small patch, and a patch of nettles, you will be doing a lot of good for wildlife. If you want to stop mowing in May then do so, but leaving a patch to grow longer and set seeds beyond May is preferable – though not so popular on social media.
Most people will be planting patio pots at this time of year. Take out the old plants and fill them with summer plants. If the compost is less than a year old you can replace the top 15cm and put that on your borders to improve the soil, mix some controlled-release fertiliser with the old compost below and top up with new compost. Otherwise add fresh compost in the pot.
You can add controlled-release fertiliser at this point. It will feed your plants throughout summer.
Then you can add your plants, giving them room to grow.
When planting hanging baskets it is useful to put a disc of plastic in the base to help conserve water if you are using a moss-lined wire basket or coir baskets. Allow the plants in the basket to establish for a few weeks in a shady place before hanging up the basket.
I have been busy moving plants out of the greenhouse to make room to tomatoes and to plant out tender plants and that gives me the chance to get rid of cobwebs, sweep away fallen leaves and compost and clean algae off the glass. But it is also time to shade the glass. This prevents plants getting damaged by high temperatures and helps keep plants healthy. The simplest way is to use shade paint which is then easy to wipe off in autumn when you need to allow more light into the greenhouse.
There is lots to do in the veg garden now that frosts should be a thing of the past. Buy and plant some lettuce every two or three weeks to ensure a steady supply through summer. A few lettuce are easy to grow in pots or growing bags.
And it is time to trim box hedges. If there are dead patches caused by box blight, trim out the dead areas to improve air circulation and encourage new growth.
More about containers
If you want to learn more about growing plants in containers, from apples to agapanthus, remember that I am coming to Knights to give demonstrations on the subject. The informal demonstrations take place at 4pm on May 20th and 21st and include tea and cakes but you need to book in advance.
Details below
https://www.knightsgardencentres.com/webshop/events/talks-workshops