Fabulous plants for May

This is a really exciting time of year as new plants start to emerge and gardens really come alive.  Every day seems to bring something new to admire.  These are just some of the plants I really recommend for the garden in May.

Dicentra spectabilis Alba AGM

This is definitely one of my all-time favourite plants as it’s just downright beautiful!  The attractive foliage is a lovely fresh green, and the pure white locket-shaped flowers on arching stems are so pretty!  It’s great for shade and partial shade (being naturally found on woodland edges), and although it will do better with reasonably moist soil, it will also cope in drier parts of the garden if enough shade is provided.  It will also grow well in sunnier areas if the soil is moist enough.

Dicentras (or ‘bleeding hearts’) normally start flowering in April (subject to some decent weather of course) but they do have quite a long flowering period so are usually still going strong in May.  They look fantastic with ferns, bluebells, spring bulbs and emerging Hostas.  I have to admit I try to fit them into every garden where the soil conditions are suitable!

Euphorbia polychroma

I’m a recent convert to Euphorbia polychroma, having been a fan of the shrubbier Euphorbias (E.characias and E. Mellifera) and the woodland spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides Robbiae for years. They are so valuable to bring a real splash of early colour to the garden.

Euphorbia Polychroma though is quite a different plant as it’s a very neat dome-shaped perennial with bright (and I mean bright!) acid yellow-green flowers at this time of year. It’s a fairly small plant, about 50cm x 50cm, and is very easy to grow in most soils (as long as they drain well) in sun (preferably) or some shade.   Like all the best plants, this Euphorbia also dies back nicely turning a sort of coral colour in autumn and gently fading away.

Salvia x sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ AGM
One of those ‘must-have’ plants if you have a fairly sunny spot and good drainage. Salvia ‘Mainacht’ (or ‘May Night’) is a compact herbaceous perennial with branched spikes of deep purple flowers which last for a long period generally starting in late May.

Unlike some Salvias, this is a hardy variety (happy on sandy soil, loam or chalk). It’s not fussy about soil pH and it’s also attractive to bees & butterflies so it’s great to include in planting schemes to attract wildlife.

Salvia ‘Mainacht’ (also known as Salvia ‘May Night’) will grow to about 60cm high and has a spread of about 45cm. It looks great with cottage garden plants such as Geraniums, Nepeta and Alchemilla Mollis.

More great plants for this time of year which are featured in previous blogs :

Syringa microphylla ‘Superba’
Choisya ternata
Philadelphus

Magnolias
Viburnum sargentii Onondaga
Pyrus salicifolia Pendula

Photo credits: Janet Bligh & Firgrove Photographic

Jobs for the garden in May

It’s a busy time of year with all that spring growth coming along nicely, so do your best to keep on top of things. Here’s a simple guide to the major jobs you should be carrying out in May

TREES
Newly planted trees need taking care of for up to 3 years after planting until they are fully established, so make sure that you keep watering them in dry weather.

SHRUBS & CLIMBERS
Remove one third of growth to a strong new shoot in early blooming Kerria, Ribes and Forsythia.

Cut back flowered Choisya to promote a second flush of flowers in the autumn and lightly trim new growth on Lavenders to keep plants tidy and compact.

Deadhead Azaleas and Rhododendrons.

If you notice any green shoots appearing on variegated trees and shrubs, simply pinch them out.

Regularly tie in new growth of climbers and wall shrubs to their supports as new growth extends.

HEDGES & TOPIARY
Clip Beech and Hornbeam hedges, Thuja and Leyland Cypress later this month or early next month.  Cut privet and Lonciera nitida every 6 weeks or so throughout the summer.  Before clipping hedges, check thoroughly for nesting birds, and delay pruning if necessary.   Prune Ivy.

Towards the end of the month when all danger of frost has passed, lightly trim Buxus (box) hedging and topiary.

PERENNIALS
Keep on top of your weeding & if you haven’t already done it, put plant supports in place for large perennials which will get floppy later in the season.

Plant out Dahlias and other tender exotics when it’s warm enough.

Do the ‘Chelsea chop’!  This refers to the act of cutting back late-flowering perennials (like Aster, Phlox, Sedum, Rudbeckia, Helenium) by one third to keep growth compact & bushy.  It seems like a strange thing to do, but it works, and the practice gets its name as it is normally carried out around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show (the end of May).

BULBS
Deadhead and divide crowded spring bulbs when they are finished flowering, and liquid feed those that are not being moved.

LAWN CARE
Mow existing lawns weekly and apply a high-nitrogen summer feed (if you didn’t do it last month), unless drought conditions set in.  Treat broad-leafed lawn weeds with selective herbicide.

Cut bulbs growing in grass (but only 5 or 6 weeks after they have flowered).

POND CARE
Remove blanket weed from ponds by twisting it round a cane, or use a net or rake.  There will be lots of pond-life living in whatever you remove, so just leave it on the side of your pond for a couple of days to make sure it can find its way back in to the water before you dispense with the weeds.

If you have water lilies which haven’t been divided for a few years then now is the time to do that.  This is also a good time to add new floating plants to the pond.

CONTAINER PLANTS & ANNUALS
Feed your container plants on a regular basis from now on.  The easiest way to do this is to use a diluted liquid feed, or take out the top layer of potting compost and a fresh new layer mixed with slow-release fertiliser.

Plant and train sweet peas

Prepare borders for bedding plants and plant hanging baskets and containers.  But be patient with planting out summer bedding and only do so once the risk of frost has passed towards the middle of the month.  Keep an eye on the weather forecast – if frost is forecast then protect with horticultural fleece.

PESTS
Inspect plants regularly for the sign of pests and diseases.  Plants growing strongly are less susceptible to attacks so it’s worth being vigilant at this time of year.

Pick off larvae of Rosemary beetle, Viburnum beetle, and Lily beetles as soon as you see them.

Keep an eye out for slugs and snails especially as vulnerable plants such as Hostas and Delphiniums start to put out appetising new growth.

Vine weevils can become a serious problem which isn’t usually noticed until it’s too late. They can be dealt with at this time of year by watering on a biological treatment of nematodes (a beneficial insect which will destroy the vine weevil larvae).

NB this information applies to gardens in the UK, and of course you need to take account of your own local weather conditions when carrying out any work in the garden.

Picture credits:  Janet Bligh & Firgrove Photographic

Jobs for the productive garden in May

If you’re growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers for cutting, here’s a quick round-up of what you should be doing this month (subject to your local weather conditions of course!).

CUTTING GARDEN
If you are growing flowers to cut for the house and want something for later in the year, now is the time to plant Dahlia tubers.

You can also start to think about planting out bedding plants such as Cosmos which are great to cut for the house throughout the summer.  Plant and start to train sweet peas.

Plant up summer containers and prepare borders for bedding plants.  But be patient with planting out summer bedding and only do so once the risk of frost has passed (which is notoriously difficult to predict at this time of year!).  Keep an eye on the weather forecast – if frost is forecast then protect your plants with horticultural fleece.

KITCHEN GARDEN
Gradually harden off tender vegetable plants such as courgettes and marrows which can be planted out at the end of the month.

When potatoes start to emerge, heap more soil on top of newly emerging leaves and continue to build up earth as growth progresses.

Direct sow runner beans, sweet corn, lettuce, beetroot, spinach, radishes, peas and French beans.  Transplant Brussels sprouts.  Sow pumpkins and squashes indoors or directly outside if the weather allows.

Keep young vegetable plants well-watered in dry weather, and keep on top of weeding and hoeing.

If you’re short on space, think about growing vegetables in large containers.

Start (or continue) a regular sowing of cut & come again salad leaves.  These are ideal to grow in containers (especially useful I find as I can keep them out of reach of slugs and snails).

You should be able to plant out herbs now, but again keep a beady eye on the weather forecast to be sure it’s safe to do so.

With warmer days on the horizon, apply shading to your greenhouse, and be sure to ventilate on warm days

PESTS & DISEASE
Inspect plants regularly for the sign of pests and diseases.
Check gooseberries and red currants for gooseberry sawfly lavae.
Protect carrots from carrot fly with fleece.

Hang pheromone traps in apple trees to reduce codling moth.  Prune out canker, bacterial canker and blossom wilt on fruit trees.

Picture credits:  Janet Bligh & Firgrove Photographic

Growing annual flowers for summer colour

Marigolds add a splash of colour all summer long

One of the quickest and cheapest ways to fill your garden with a splash of summer colour is to grow hardy annuals.  These are flowers which you can sow as seeds directly in to the ground in spring (when the ground has warmed up), and which will reward you with masses of flowers over the summer months.  Normally the time to do this is March but this year it’s been so cold there would have been little point!   But there’s no time like the present and it would be worth giving this a go now and, all being well, in 12 weeks’ time your garden will be a riot of colour.

Growing annuals is an ideal way to fill gaps in your borders if you have spring or autumn plants which are over or yet to perform, or if you have newly planted borders which are still looking a bit bare and need a bit of oomph (technical term!).  They are very useful too to bridge what can be a difficult time between early and late summer flowering when a lot of gardens suffer from a bit of a lull in interest.

Statuesque Sunflowers to make a statement

Or, if you like to grow flowers for cutting, you can create a simple cutting garden or mini wildflower meadow packed with beautiful annual flowers.  And there’s no doubt that encouraging children to grow annuals is the perfect way to get them interested in gardening.  All you need is a sunny spot, some well-prepared (weeded and dug over) and well-drained soil, and a handful of seed packets.  What could be simpler?!

If you garden on heavy soil, try adding compost and grit to improve drainage.  If your soil is light you should be fine – don’t add compost as you don’t want to make the soil too rich; these annuals will prefer a light relatively poor soil.

Here are a few ideas of plants to try:

Californian Poppy

Eschscholzia californica  (Californian poppy)

Nigella

Nigella (Love in a Mist)

Calendula officinalis ‘Indian Prince’ (English Marigold)
Helianthus (sunflowers)
Cerinthe major purpurascens   (Honeywort)

Salvia hormium (Clary sage)
Papaver (annual poppies)
Limnanthes (poached-egg flower)

Cornflowers

Centaurea cyanus (cornflower)

Nasturtium – a colourful addition to both gardens and salads!

Nasturtium

Lathyrus (Sweet peas)

What’s more, one advantage of growing annuals like these is that very often they will seed around your garden so you won’t just get to enjoy them this year.  They are also great plants to attract beneficial insects in to your garden, and in some cases (Nasturtium and Calendula for example) the flowers are not only beautiful, but edible too.

Need I say more?!

Brilliant poppies in a wildlflower mix

Picture credits:  Janet Bligh & Firgrove Photographic