...Bring Forth May Flowers

• Protect tender new growth from frosts by covering with newspaper or horticultural fleece at night if possible.

• Keep the greenhouse well ventilated and water regularly as warm days and rapidly growing plants will dry soil quickly.  

• In the vegetable garden, it’s time to direct-sow carrots, parsnips, radishes and beets, and begin to start succession sowing of salad crops for a continuous supply throughout the summer

• Half-Hardy annuals and tender vegetables can be planted out gradually through the month, depending on how sheltered the planting area is.  However, do not be in too much of a rush to plant half-hardy or tender plants.

• All plants grown or started under cover or bought from a garden centre should be hardened off for a week or two before planting out.  This process involves gradually acclimatising the plants to cooler outdoor conditions but protecting them overnight ensures they grow strongly when finally planted and are not shocked by the sudden transition.  

• Continue to mow lawns regularly.  Bare patches can still be re-seeded, but remember to water frequently if the weather remains dry.

• Moss and broadleaf weeds should be treated in early May, but most treatments require rain shortly after treatment

• Leave the foliage of Spring bulbs to die down naturally – don’t be tempted to cut or tie.  It’s a good idea to give them a water with a high potassium fertiliser such as a liquid tomato feed, as the treatment they receive now will determine the quality of the blooms next Spring.

• Slug pellets containing Metaldehyde have now been banned for use.  Try to use Garlic wash or other natural methods of control (including encouraging wildlife) to limit damage by slugs and snails.

• Mid-May through to early June is ‘Chelsea Chop time’ where the stems of many late-flowering herbaceous perennials such as Achillea, Asters, Campanula, Echinacea, Helenium, perennial Helianthus, Hylotelephium (Sedum), Lavender, Monada, Nepeta, Penstemon, Phlox, and Rudbeckia are cut back by about one third to a half of their current length.  Cutting all the stems on a plant delays flowering by 4-6 weeks and gives shorter, bushier plants.  Cutting some of the stems of a single plant will extend the flowering period.