GARDEN JOBS FOR MAY

 Hello gardening lovelies!

Welcome to my gardening To-Do's Monthly Blog

M A Y

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Geum 'Mai Tai'

Firstly, make sure you take time to sit back & enjoy any blooms that are in full swing at the moment! I'm currently loving my Bleeding Hearts which has really branched out & thickened up this year, loaded with flowers! Also my fav Geum 'Mai Tai' has just started to bloom, I love it's peach turn apricot tones that add colour to the front of the border.

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Bleeding Hearts

Pinch back central growth on Dahlia plants, taking the middle stem out or snipping it down to the lower level of nodes encourages new, thicker growth to form giving you a much bushier & rounded plant with more flower stem potential and a much improved display of blooms. Just snip above foliage coming directly off the stem or where you can see a symmetrical bump either side of the lower stem, make sure you use nice & sharp and clean snips or secateurs for a clean cut.

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Dahlia Pinching

Plant hanging baskets & pots with summer bedding. I love to use a cone shaped rattan basket with a pretty weaved design, purely so that there is something nice to look at while the plants are establishing. Be sure to pick plants that will give you height in middle like Fuchsia or Gazania, fillers for the middle such as Campanula for early colour or bedding Verbena and some trailers such as Million Bells or Surfinia for pretty colour to cover the sides of your basket. If you plant a cone basket, I recommend standing in a bucket or pot to keep it upright, wedging it in place with cardboard or a sponge so it doesn't wobble when you plant.

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Hanging Basket May Plantings

Carry on sowing carrots, lettuce, radish & spinach seeds to ensure a succession of harvests later in the season. I usually sow my succession sowings about 3-4 weeks apart to give me a steady harvest. You can do this every two weeks if you want for a more regular and heavier harvest (and if room permits).

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Veg Seeds to Sow May

Time to cut back Hellebores, if you haven't already... Mine have only just really finished blooming plus I actually really enjoy the blooms once they've faded too, they look very vintage and still add interest to my border whilst I'm waiting for other perennials to get going. I just cut back any damaged or yellowing foliage, remove and dead flowers and growth which thins the clumps of leaves out providing more light to the greener and fresh shoots coming through. I also scatter and dig a little root boosting micorrhizal granules into the soil around my Hellebore clumps, enhancing their root health now helps for better blooms next year.

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Cut Back Hellebore Flower Stems

Protect your young veg plants & seedlings from mice by scattering fine black pepper or cinnamon around your beds & borders. Lavender is also meant to be a good deterrent... basically anything that has a strong smell turns their noses up! I also learnt from my neighbour that both cinnamon and pepper are a great way to keep cats off your beds and making a 'mess'. Two problems solved for the price of one for me here! Cinnamon can be expensive however keep an eye out for the offers, I picked up this big tub for only a couple of quid from The Range at the time.

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Sprinkle Cinnamon to Deter Mice & Cats

Plant on any late tomato plugs in to 9-10cm diameter pots to allow them to establish in to strong, young plants before transferring them to their final position. Yes I know I am late here, but I ALWAYS sow my Tom's late, I don't have heating in my greenhouse so I have to sow later to avoid heavy frost. They soon catchup and grow just as well as earlier sowings, if not better without the cold stress.

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Pot on Tomato Plugs

Cut back spent Tulip flower stems and any scruffy looking foliage too to tidy them up. Ideally leaving some growth so that the plant can get plenty of light for as long as possible before all the foliage dies back, this enable the bulb to 'pump up' and regain energy in readiness for the next season ensuring your blooms look just as good as they did (or better) than this year.

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Cut Back Tulip Flower Stems

Scatter flower seeds in your beds & borders for gorgeous summer blooms! May is the optimal time for outdoor flower seed sowings, with plenty of light, warm weather and the odd sunny day, the chances of germination are much improved. Scatter over freshly mulched areas if possible or add handfuls or mulch or peat-free compost to the patches where you scatter providing the seeds a nice, cosy and nutrient rich spot to germinate & thrive in. 

This month I'm sowing:

Cosmos

Cornflower

Candytuft

Wildflower mixes into wooden crates

Zinnia (late indoor sowings)

Lottie Newitt © 2022 Flower Seeds to Sow Now- May

Now a few long-grass cuts have got underway, I recommend using the mulch setting if you have one on your machine, or if not simply remove the grass collecting bucket and let the short clippings drop to the lawn. You may need to cut twice a week if your lawn is fast growing. Mulching is basically allowing the short clippings (which can't be noticed easily) drop back to the ground to put all their nutrients and release nitrogen back to the roots of the grass. This is a low cost, efficient way of feeding your lawn, no clearing up, no added cost of fertiliser and no extra time required to apply feed. Mulching can help your lawn stay nice and green & lush through the growing season.

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Happy Gardening!

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