Gardener's Calendar - May
Things to do in...
Let all thy joys be as the month of May. ~Francis Quarles~
Here we are in the merry month of May. The day length is improving, the light early mornings are filled with a melodious dawn chorus and plants are growing at a fantastic pace. May is the month for gardening 
inspirations, everywhere you look you will see ideas for your garden. Your neighbours house, TV, supermarkets but none better than here at Redfields. Some of you may have got your ideas through the Winter, NOW is the time to put those ideas into practice.
Flower Borders
Early flowering deciduous shrubs like Spiraea and Forsythia should be cut back when they have finished blooming, a good guide on an established plant is to cut a third of the branches back to ground level and the remaining branches by a third of their height. On younger plants with fewer branches, just cut back by a third.
Lilacs can also be pruned back lightly in the month of May. When the blooms have finished remove any sucker growths and dead blooms. Feed your Lilacs in May with a good general fertilizer. If your soil has an acidic PH, then work a little lime in around the plant as well.
Dead head any of your Spring bulbs, continue to care for these plants until they have died completely back naturally. This is to ensure the bulbs restore their energies so they can do it all again next year. Some bulbs like Daffodils can be lifted and divided at this time of year but take great care not to damage the roots.
Hopefully the frosts are well behind us now, so it’s a good time to think about planting out your Dahlia tubers. Always remember to put a stake in the ground to mark where you have planted them.
If you haven’t already done so, make sure you put canes and supports around those taller perennials; this will save a more difficult job later in the season, and also give your perennial border a much more natural look.
After flowering, prune your early Clematis like the Montana varieties. The growth made this Summer will flower next Spring. If the area you are growing it in is tight for space, this should be done every year; however you can leave it unpruned for several years, but one day you will have a big tangle to deal with.
There is still time to direct sow sweet peas, however you will probably get better results by planting a finished plant. These wonderful climbing plants will cover ugly areas in you garden rapidly, but remember to take the fading flowers out to keep them growing as they will stop once gone to seed.
Climbing roses will now be bursting into action, it is important to tie down the shoots. The more horizontal shoots you can get, the better the flowering will be. Be watchful for aphids on roses now, it is a good idea to start a regular preventative spray programme to keep these pests at bay.
Clear out any of your old spring bedding and get your beds and containers ready to plant out your summer bedding schemes. There is so much to choose from at Redfields so let you imagination run wild.
Vegetable and Fruit Gardens
This has got to be the busiest month of all for the vegetable gardener, but at the same time the most rewarding. Most of your vegetables can be direct sown outdoors this month, French and runner beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, carrots, leeks and lettuce. Remember to stagger sowings so you 
can continue to harvest over a longer period of time. Another useful tip is to place a Brassicae collar around your Cabbage and Cauliflower, this will help prevent cabbage root fly.
If the weather is warm enough you can plant sweetcorn out in May. Remember to plant the 12-18” apart in squares. This is done to help pollination which is done by wind rather than insect.
Put straw under strawberry plants in May, this protects the flowering trusses and will also help keep the fruit clean and keep the soil below moist. Remember birds love strawberries, so make sure you have some netting over them before the fruit starts to ripen.
Earth up any early potatoes you may have sown, this helps protect them from frost but also prevents light getting to the potatoes, which will make them turn green. Now is the time to sow your chitted main crop potatoes.
You can now start to sow your salad crops, sow at regular intervals to ensure you can have salads every week right through the summer. Make sure you keep the area well watered.
If you don’t already have one, then try creating a herb garden, there are many different types on the market, with stunning foliage colours and scents, Basil can be put out later in the month, ideal in your salads for BBQ’S and spring wouldn’t be spring without minted potatoes.
Lawns
May is the best month to do any running repairs on your lawn. Bare patches can be re-seeded; you can 
do this by slightly loosening the soil, then sow a good quality grass seed and lightly tap in. The biggest problem will be keeping the birds of, so make sure you have some netting to hand to keep them at bay.
Apply a weed and feed over your lawn, or you can spot treat weeds, whichever you do you must continue to feed. You could need to mow the lawn once a week by now, make sure you collect the cuttings, if you leave them you will build up thatch in your lawn, which leads to moss and eventually a lot of bare patches.
Patio and Greenhouse Gardening
Start planting your summer baskets in May and get them started in the greenhouse. This allows the plants you choose to establish themselves before hanging them outside, traditionally done on the last bank holiday in May.
Continue to prick out any half hardy seedlings you still have but more established plants can now go outside to start to harden them off. If you have no seedlings in you greenhouse then damp down and ventilate well on sunny days, you might even think about getting the cool glass painted on.
Side shoots should be removed from your tomato plants but not bush varieties and melons and cucumbers should be pinched after two sets of side shoots have been produced. Pumpkin seeds can also be sown under glass in the month of May, ready to plant out next month.
Make sure you still have heating or fleece available just in case there are any more cool nights.
General Tasks
As the weather gets warmer, there are two things that thrive. One is aphids, so make sure you are vigilant and treat as soon as you spot them, the other is weeds. Make sure you keep on top of the weeding, what you get out now can save you hours if you don’t let it go to seed.
On fruit trees, as well as aphids, keep a close eye on mildews and make sure you get those slug pellets down. The slugs love nothing more than a nice meal of your young fresh Hosta leaves.
Keep on feeding and watering young bedding plants and newly plant shrubs, this will help them establish quicker.
Continue to encourage birds into the garden; there are many great items on the shelves. Not only will they provide an excellent show, they will also help keep the pest population down.
Finally summer is a great time to introduce gardening to the young, the weather is warmer and many of the plants give much quicker results. So this year why not give them a little pot of there own, Geraniums and Marigolds are easy, or even let them have their own tomato plant so they can eat the fruits of their labours
Plants of the Month
A selection of plants that are especially interesting this month.
Aquilegias |
Syringa Vulgaris (Lilacs) |
Crateagus (Hawthorn) |
Ornamental Cherries |
Clematis Macropetla |
Meconopsis |
Centaurea Montana |
Berberis stenophylla |
Dodecatheon Meadia |
May is a busy but great month to be in the garden and if you’re looking for those ideas or a bit of inspiration, visit us at Redfields, our staff can help you with all of the above and MUCH MORE.
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Monday to Saturday
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Address
Ewshot Lane
Telephone
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