Gardening Tips for May Hopefully by now the weather has warmed up, but
watch the weather forecasts and be prepared to cover any tender plants overnight if temperatures are going to drop. I once lost some hydrangeas in May! If it is very hot, make sure that greenhouses and cold frames are open to stop them getting too hot and plants getting scorched.
Don’t be tempted by higher temperatures to start putting summer bedding, baskets, etc, out until later in the month. When
planting up baskets and tubs, add some slow release fertiliser and water retaining crystals to the compost before planting. For a good display, pack in as
many plants as possible, some upright in the middle and then trailers around the edge. Use begonias and fuchsias if they are in a shady spot. Pelargoniums and petunias like the sun. Add some foliage trailers to set off the colour.
Dahlias, cannas and similar tender plants can be planted out now as well.
Divide large clumps of bulbs and give them liquid feed to get a good show next year. If primroses have seeded around, now is the time to move them. They will do well in a shady spot. Lilies will be growing well by now, so watch out for little red lily beetles. They are very lively, so it is a good idea to put something under
GARDEN MANAGEMENT SERVICES &THEDECKINGDOCTOR
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26 Pelargoniums
them so that you can catch them if they fall off. Finish pruning tender shrubs like fuchsias and perovskia and also the spring fl owering shrubs like ribes, forsythia and chaenomoles (Japanese
quince), which have fi nished fl owering. Thin out the arching stems on kerria, and spiraea and if necessary cut back clematis montana. New shoots of summer fl owering clematis and honeysuckle should be tied in to keep them tidy.
In the vegetable garden, keep the potatoes earthed up (cover overnight if temperatures drop) and fi nished any you have left. Plant bean seeds in the ground now, but hold plants back until later in month. Runner beans can be planted in rows or around a tripod of canes. If you add a few sweet peas to the row, it is thought that it may improve fertilisation. If you like French beans, there are climbing versions of these and they are very prolifi c. Thin out any earlier sowings of lettuce, radish and carrots. Tomatoes, courgettes, squash, etc, shouldn’t be planted outside until the end of the month.
Lawns will need mowing every week now. If evergreen hedges need clipping, check fi rst for bird nests.
Broadstone in Bloom has plant sales on 6th May and 10th June in front of Lloyds Bank. Several varieties of tomatoes, courgettes as well as nursery grown shrubs and perennials will be available.
Denise Hill Broadstone in Bloom
01202 951985
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To advertise, please contact 01202 657317 or email
karen@broadstonelink.co.uk Landmark
Locksmiths.indd 1 01/03/2016 17:03
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