Our May Garden Guide Is Your Bucket List Of Things To Get Done In The Garden

Welcome to the heart of spring! May is the month to be in the garden. Chill in the morning. Nice warm afternoons. The heat of summer is just around the corner so getting seedlings off and growing is real important. Grab your tools, it is time to get after it! 

Prune out overcrowded and dead stems of early-flowering clematis after flowering.

Keep up with weeding. They can get ahead of you quickly if you aren’t careful. 

Divide herbaceous perennials now to improve their vigor and create new plants. Learn More: How To Divide Perennials 

Tie up the foliage of spring-flowering bulbs. Do not cut off the foliage until they turn brown.

Check for ticks on your body. They are very active now.

Trim lavender plants now, cutting off any old flower heads and about 1 inch of the current year’s growth. Learn More: How To Grow Lavender 

Tie in climbing and rambling roses. Laying the stems horizontally will help to produce more flowers.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs after flowering.

Give hardy mums their first pinch back. This will keep them compact for the summer and fall.

Feed and water container plants.

Top-dress permanent pot plants to refresh the compost. 

Give your container plants a balanced liquid feed every two to four weeks to promote healthy growth.

Start to closely inspect your plants for pests and diseases – early prevention is easier than curing an infestation.

Look out for signs of blackspot on roses. If discovered, Blackspot can be treated with a systemic fungicide.

Continue to weed beds and borders to prevent competition for water and nutrients.

Continue earthing-up potatoes.

Harvest asparagus spears when they are no more than 7” tall. 

Harvest rhubarb, picking only a third of the total amount of stems. 

Thin out direct-sown vegetables such as spinach, carrot and lettuce seedlings then water the rows well.  

Other Blog Posts You May Be Interested In:

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