May Gardening Jobs
Summer starts here! With the long bright evenings and the soil warming up, gardens completely transform and suddenly demand our attention. Don’t panic, the season is just beginning. Follow our top tips to help your garden bloom and flourish in the months ahead.
The important garden jobs for the month of May are as follows:
- Now is the perfect time to start planting summer bedding in hanging baskets & planters. If the weather gets cold be sure to protect tender bedding plants at night with fleece or by taking them inside. Check out our full guide on how to create a blooming hanging basket.
- Planting flowering perennials now will ensure long flowering seasonal colour throughout the coming months. You'll have a fabulous garden, full of life in no time!
- Spring flowering perennials tend to naturally finish flowering for another year around this time. Be sure to cut back spring flowering perennials like Doronicums to ensure they come back to life next year.
- Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs. Always allow five weeks after blooms fade as they must replenish resources.
- To keep Buxus topiary looking its best be sure to give the leaves a light trim to maintain shape. Now is also the perfect time to feed Buxus plants.
- Prune early flowering shrubs as soon as flowering is over to prevent them from becoming overgrown.
- Make sure to protect roses against blackspot by spraying early with a fungicide such as Rose Clear. This will eliminate any existing infections and protect new growth from further infections to ensure your roses have a long and healthy life.
- Remember to keep on top of weeds by weeding throughout the summer months.
- May is sow time for many vegetables like peas, carrots, beetroot, turnips, and leeks. For more information, check out our guide on everything you need to know about sowing vegetable seeds.
- Continue to earth up your potatoes as they grow.
- Be sure to keep on top of slugs, snails and pests throughout the coming months and regularly check plants for any signs of damage.
- May is the last real chance to plant any summer flowering bulbs, so make sure you plant any bulbs you've been meaning to!
- Is your lawn looking dull and lifeless? You'll be happy to know that it's the perfect time to sow new lawns. Not sure where to start? Browse our helpful tips on how to sow grass and take care of your lawn for a luscious garden you won't want to leave this summer.
Remember:Â May is the month of vigorous growth - but watch out for cold snaps as you plant and sow.
Ready to start gardening? We have everything you'll need to complete your May gardening jobs here. Drop into one of our garden centres and talk to our horticulturists for further advice and tips, or read more on Woodie's Community.
