Gardening by Month - May
Early spring weather has been patchy, but it’s warming up and the gardening season is in full swing. Take advantage of the longer days and spend some time pottering in the garden. Not only is it great for boosting your sense of well-being, your garden will benefit from some TLC.
Introduce bee-friendly plants to your garden, including the already mentioned alpine varieties from our plants of the month. Some reliable favourites are lavender, cornflower and honeysuckle, and herbs such as thyme and borage. They all like a sunny spot and well-drained soil, so will go well together. If you have a shady space to fill, introduce foxgloves, which prefer shade or dappled sun.
The lavender is a particularly lovely addition to the garden. It’s drought-tolerant, evergreen and low-maintenance, only needing a quick trim with shears after the flowers fade. Whatever variety you choose, when in full bloom, the scent and colour are heavenly!
Other jobs for May:
- Sow some seeds, including sweet pea and salad crops. You don’t need a lot of space, and you can plant them in containers.
- Take a ‘little and often’ approach to pulling up weeds from the garden, since they have a habit of taking over.
- Feed established flowering plants with a good quality flower food to give them a boost before the hotter weather.
- If you want to promote healthy growth in larger shrubs and bushes, give them a trim, so long as they’re not flowering, but check first to ensure no birds are nesting.
It’s well worth spending a little time tending your garden, so you can get it in good shape for the summer. Until next month, happy gardening.
