Gardening

Edition two - May 2006  

A heatwave would be nice this summer; we certainly deserve one after the weather of the last few months...

Spring has finally arrived, but don`t get caught out by any late frosts that could ruin your tender plants and shrubs. Get them covered up at night if the forecast is for frost - old newspapers will do if you don`t have any horticultural fleece.

If you haven`t yet planted up your tubs and hanging baskets there are still plenty of plants in the garden centres, and in many cases they will even plant them up for you. If you like hanging baskets but not the twice daily watering that is needed to keep them in top condition in hot weather,  try the ones with a water reservoir in the bottom. Mix some water retaining gel granules and controlled release plant food in with the compost, before planting them up, and you will have the best hanging baskets in the neighbourhood that will flower away until the first frosts... Or you can really cheat by waiting until the first week in June and bargaining with your local garden centre for their display hanging baskets.

If you really don`t like gardening why not enjoy the benefits of someone else`s hard work by visiting gardens that are open to the public. Your local library should have a list of these.

RHS Garden shows for May/June

Jobs for the month - May

Don't let the warmer days of May lull you into forgetting the tasks that must now be tackled. This is the time of year when plans for beds and borders should be put into action. Take cuttings, sow biennial seeds and don`t forget any pruning tasks.

Bulbs.

Try giving bulbs a liquid feed or a sprinkle of Growmore for an even better display next year, and leave daffodil leaves to die down naturally, which will take about six weeks. When tulips are finished flowering you can lift them and heel them in elsewhere for the bulbs to ripen. I never bother to do this and leave them in situ. There are a few less each year which are easily added to...

Lawns

Keep new lawns damp and treat existing lawns with weed and feed, not forgetting to apply it according to instructions.  I usually give my lawn a going over with an electric scarifier first which rips out all the moss and rubbish. The amount of debris it removes never fails to amaze me, and the grass is now looking very respectable compared with the rough neglected lawn of several years ago when we moved here.

Greenhouse

Protect tender plants from late frosts, with newspaper or horticultural fleece, and start hardening off summer bedding plants by taking them out of the greenhouse and putting them in cold frames. Don`t plant them out till the end of May. Maintain the greenhouse humidity and avoid red spider mite by damping down with the hosepipe, and shade the plants from too much sun.

Paths, fences and walls

Check fence support posts and make sure that supports for climbing plants are strong enough. Why not give your fence a spring coat of paintwith one of the new colours instead of the usual brown?  Are the garden walls safe?  Put weedkiller on paths, taking care to read instructions regarding pets. Check that the wet weather hasn't made your paths uneven or slippery with moss and if so, remedy this to avoid accidents.

Hedges

Fast growing formal hedges should have their first light clipping at the end of this month, but the growing season seems a little late this year and it may not need doing for a while.  Don`t let newly planted conifers or other hedging plants dry out, and mulch if possible. Remember not to let your boundary conifer hedging get too high.

Fruit

Strawberries in flower must be protected from late frosts. Watch out for the birds on fruit bushes and cover with netting if necessary

Flowers for cutting

Sow biennials and perennials for next years flower arrangements, and start training sweet peas up their supports.

Herbaceous plants

Stake plants and feed them weekly. Try using Miracle-Gro with the dispenser that attaches to the hose pipe so everything in the garden gets fed... Keep the borders weed free and mulched and watch out for aphids on your plants. They seem to be less fussy what they land on with each year that passes. Have you seen those giant aphids on lupins?  Why not treat yourself to one of those obelisks that are so cheap and cheerful. They look great in the middle of a border supporting a climbing plant.  

Ponds and water features

Clear the debris and moss from water features and change the water if necessary, taking care not to disturb any wildlife that`s made it`s home there.  Check the electrical system is safe. Make preparations for new aquatic plants in the pond, taking care not to disturb any fish that may be getting ready to spawn. Remove any unwanted frog or toad spawn.  

Wildlife

By now you have maybe stopped feeding the birds in your garden. They will need to forage naturally for themselves whilst food is plentiful. Let them rid your garden of the aphids..

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