The garden in May

This last week has seen an improvement in temperatures but with showers most days it leaves most of us with a somewhat lack of motivation to get out there and do something in the garden. Right on cue, there is poor weather forecast for the Bank Holiday weekend, but don't let that stop you getting out as there plenty to do, and even more to see. Summer has woken up the vast majority of plants and all the trees and hedges are covered in a fresh green coverage of foliage.

Narcissus are looking past their best now, but the stunning tulips are now coming into their own. There are hundreds of varieties commonly available and well worth the effort in putting them in in autumn. They are best planted in blocks of the same species or in colour co-ordinated groups for best effect.

Tulipa 'Spring Green'

There are no shortage of shrubs which are flowering at the moment too. The best of the bunch for me is Exochorda x macrantha 'The Bride'. Stunning pure white flowers cover arching stems which are set against small light green leaves. A welcome sight at this time of year.

Exochorda x macrantha 'The Bride'

Whatever you do, just take a few moments to take a peek at what nature is up to out there. I guarantee you will be surprised and fascinated!

Generally in your garden then...

Lawn

Apply sulphate of ammonia bulked up with sand and water the lawn immediately after. This is a fertiliser to promote growth which you will see the benefit of after about 10 days. Continue to mow the lawn on a regular basis. Make sure the height is correct (no more than 10-12mm).

Seeds

There is still time to sow seeds of hardy and half hardy annuals. Hardy annuals do need to be kept away from frosts however until the weather gets milder. Thin any annual plants which you may have sown earlier.

Bulbs

The dead flower heads from the last of the Narcissus (Daffodils) need to be removed now (leaving the leaves to die back naturally).

Pools and water plants

This is a good time to plant water based plants. Remove pond weeds so they don't take over the whole pond. Feed water plants with an aquatic fertiliser, pushing the pellets into the compost of the plants. Feed any fish you have in the pond as they will be becoming more active now the weather is improving.

Trees and Shrubs

Water recently planted shrubs and trees then mulch around them. Prune early flowering shrubs

Fruit

Prune raspberries. Remove runners from strawberries whilst tucking straw under the plants to prevent the fruit from rotting. Mulch fruit.

Vegetables

Sow chard, beans and leaf beet and plant out leeks, marrows, courgettes, sweetcorn and brassicas. Pinch out the tips of broad beans and protect carrots from carrot fly with a fine mesh.

Herbaceous

Tie in climbers. Tie and stake where necessary perennial plants.

Hedges

Clip Lonicera nitida monthly until September in order to keep them in shape. Clip privet and also Forsythia and flowering currant hedges after flowering. If you have newly planted hedges, in dry weather give them a good soaking of water to prevent them drying out.

Pests and Diseases

As the weather increasingly gets better, so the pests and diseases in your garden become more common. Keeping weeds down helps to keep their numbers down as they often acts as hosts for your unwelcome visitors. Vine weevil are a problem this time of year, especially the grubs which are present in soil. Scarlet Lily Beetle are also a problem; watch out for them on Fritillaries before heading off to Lilys once the food supply has gone.

General

Be aware of the fact that night frosts still can damage vulnerable plants at this time of year.
Keep weeds down to a minimum. Getting rid of weeds when they are small is easy compared to letting them take hold. Weeding 'little and often' does the trick.
Keep an eye on containers and hanging baskets to make sure they do not dry up completely.
Try to water in the evenings rather than during the day or early morning.

The garden advice and plant information contained on this email has been created as accurately as possible, but localised weather conditions and yearly variations in climate mean that information should be used as a general guide only and acted upon accordingly.

Click here to log into your account page. (You will need your username and password).

Click here to go directly to the Kirman Design home page.