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By the time May comes around, spring is in full swing and with it, some superb & much needed warm weather! But don’t expect it to be warm all month, as the saying goes “don’t cast a clout until may is out”. The classic British weather can catch us out with low temperatures, chilly winds and very occasionally a little frost so don’t put those fleeces or cloches away just yet.
With longer and sometimes warmer days now here, this month is the perfect time to get your garden in order and ready for a season of enjoying your stunning outdoor space! Follow our guide and add the right pieces to your garden to create a beautiful area that works for you.
To help you manage your workload or bypass certain tasks which may not be relevant to your outdoor space, we have categorised this month’s jobs into the following four sections:
With Spring here and Summer quickly approaching, the warmer weather will allow you to spend even more time outside, getting your garden in the best condition possible for the rest of the year. As with April, in May there are fewer of the harder and more intensive maintenance tasks, meaning you can put more of your energy into growing!
There is a great variety of tasks to complete this month from furniture care to lawn care to hoeing and so much more. We have been sure to try and remove any form of repetitiveness and hopefully make this work in your garden as enjoyable as possible.
We recommend completing as many of these tasks as you possibly can before moving on to the other sections of our May gardening jobs.
To condition your wooden garden furniture for summer, apply a wood treatment
To walk amongst your flowers, mow grass pathways through your wildflower areas
Regularly clean out and thoroughly scrub your bird feeders to help maintain hygiene
To prevent eye injuries, put soft tops on the tips of all canes wherever you may be growing them
So you can recycle more green waste from your kitchen & garden, set up an extra compost binÂ
To encourage a leafy growth for your lawn this summer, apply a nitrogen-rich lawn feed
Prevent weeds from establishing and setting seeds by weekly hoeing bare soil and hand-weeding beds
By the end of this month, sow grass seed or lay new turf to create a new lawn or repair damaged patches
From your pond or water featured, scoop out pondweed, blanketweed and algae
For perennials that are prone to flopping, such as top-heavy peonies or phlox, put supports in placeÂ
For climbers such as runner beans, sweet peas and morning glory, build sturdy wigwams and supportsÂ
Check your shoot tips and young foliage for aphids, wipe them off or spray with a soap-based solution
Regularly trim your topiary to keep it looking neat and also promote bushy growth
Be sure to check your shrubs for nests before you begin any pruning to avoid disturbing nesting birds
As the weather continues to improve, as do your growing opportunities which means your greenhouse will soon be a busy hub for growing everything you wish from flowers & plants to fruit and vegetables. With temperatures seeming to be consistently warm, you can even start looking at moving plants that were sown inside, into your greenhouse.
Ensure the structure is well ventilated and there is enough shade in the required areas to prevent scorching but don’t keep the doors and vents open during evenings. There is still a chance of some colder evenings and even late frosts which you should be wary of, ensure you watch the forecasts to prevent being caught out.
Follow our list of jobs to ensure your garden structure is in the best condition to host your plants & crops:
Open your doors & vents on warmer days but keep them closed during the cold evenings
To reduce scorching and help to lower daytime temperatures, put up some shading
Check shoot tips and leaf undersides regularly for pests and treat with biological controls
To prevent overcrowding and fungal disease, keep pricking out seedlings once they get their first true leaves
As it begins to warm up, regularly water your thirsty crops including tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes
Transplant your tomatoes into growing bags or large pots and support the main stem with wire or a cane
Support your indoor tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergine by tying the stems to canes
For fragrant flowers in the summer, you should plant heat-treated freesia corms in pots
Houseplants that are now top-heavy or pot bound should be repotted in large containers
Take cuttings of woody herbs such as rosemary, hyssop & thyme and root in pots of compost
Ready for planting outside after the last frost, begin to harden off tender plants & bedding
Now is the time to take cuttings from your dahlias, fuchsias and pelargoniums
Spring is now in full flow and your garden should be looking much brighter than in previous months and with a little more work your outdoor space will soon begin looking as summery as it can! Planting, bedding and sowing is a constant feature this month with growing work getting serious.
May can feel pretty hectic and it can feel hard keeping on top of the sowing, seedlings, watering and more but that is all part of the fun of gardening! There is even work going in ahead of even warmer months when plants such as Sunflowers and California poppies will begin to bloom.
Browse the jobs below and complete the jobs that are relevant to your wants & needs and also the capabilities of your outdoor space.
After the last frosts of Spring have passed, begin to plant out your dahlia tubers and cannas
In a greenhouse or porch for a few weeks before putting outside, start to plant up hanging baskets
Plant a selection of hostas and ferns which will help to add interest to your shady borders
Plant summer bedding & tender annuals such as sunflowers, cosmos & nasturtiums after the last frost
Into border gaps for August to Autumn colour, carry on sowing your annuals such as California poppies
To encourage a good display next year, apply liquid feed to daffodils, tulips & other spring bulbs
Tie to their supports, your new shoots of climbing plants such as clematis, wisteria and honeysuckle
Begin to harden off indoor tender plants but bring inside at night for protection from frost
To encourage a bushier growth, begin to pinch out the shoot tips of bedding plants and young annuals
To keep them compact after flowering, prune spring shrubs, such as chaenomeles and forsythia
Remove your faded spring bedding such as wallflowers and forget-me-nots and add to a compost bin
Watch for scarlet lily beetles & their larvae on your lilies and fritillaries as they can strip foilage rapidly
May is the heart of spring and the ideal time for you to start planting seeds outside instead of having to start them off inside or in a greenhouse. The ones you did start indoors in previous months may now be moved outside too after a period of acclimatisation (hardening off) to the outside conditions. The warmer weather creates the perfect conditions for your crops to begin flourishing
Even if you’re only just joining us with our monthly tasks and the ‘grow-your-own’ fun, you can still achieve the goal of growing your own fruit and vegetables and being able to serve homegrown produce! Be sure you complete all of the suitable tasks for your outdoor space and good luck with your produce growing!
In deep pots, sow sweetcorn so younger plants can be transplanted into the garden in June
Every few weeks sow batches of salad leaves & stir-fry crops to provide continuous pickings
Directly outdoors in warm weather, begin sowing climbing & dwarf French beans, as well as runner beans
To ensure you achieve healthy & strong growing plants, thin out seedlings from your earlier sowings
Ready for planting in mild areas, begin hardening off tender young plants, such as tomatoes & courgettes
Ensure pollinating insects can get access to your flowers so open fruit cage doors or lift some of the netting
Strawberry runners should be removed so the plants can put their full energy into fruiting
Earth up your potatoes and cover the shoots with soil when they begin to appear
Being to pick rhubarb stems as they start to develop and water the plants with liquid feed
If late frosts are forecast, keep your fleeces handy to protect young seedlings or fruit blossoms
To control pests, hang some pheromone traps in your apple and plum trees from May to July
Reduce snail populations by going on regular evening hunts, especially during damp weather
