May gardening tips
Wondering what to do in your garden in May? Read up on our top May garden tasks and your garden will soon be blooming lovely.
Things to do in the garden in May
May is a beautiful month. The days are longer, the weather is (usually) warmer and the garden is gearing up for a glorious summer display. Our tips will help you to give it a helping hand.
May gardening to do list
Keep hydrated
Just the right amount of water is probably the most important ingredient for healthy plants. As the weather gets drier and hotter, you’ll need to ensure you water your plants regularly (especially pot plants). Use a water butt or ‘grey’ water (e.g. bath water) if possible, to avoid water waste, and water first thing in the morning and/or last thing at night to maximise the impact.
Stay on top of weeds
Weeds will thrive in the better weather, so make sure you keep on top of them before they strip your soil of vital nutrients and start to compete for space with the plants you would like to grow bigger.
Look after your lawn
Continue to repair bare patches in your lawn by planting grass seeds or adding turf. Use a lawn weed and moss killer if necessary and add a liquid fertiliser to your watering regime for green and healthy grass growth. Don’t let your lawn dry out and it’s time to start mowing more regularly too.
Trim your evergreen hedges
Pruning and trimming hedges is vital not just to improve their aesthetics, shape and to prevent them from overgrowing and blocking light, but also to improve their health. Privet hedges should have maintenance trims every six weeks in late spring and summer. Formal Escallonia hedges should be trimmed in May and then again in late August. Hawthorn hedges should be trimmed once in May after flowering and then left until autumn. Remember to watch out for nesting birds.
Pamper your pond life
Pondweed and algae can grow rapidly as the weather gets warmer, depleting oxygen and stagnating the pond water. Thin pondweed by hand. Clean filters regularly. Remove any leaves and debris that have blown in. Also, consider adding new varieties of pond-loving plants for biodiversity.
What to grow in a garden in May
Once the risk of frost has passed, it’s time to plant brightly coloured summer bedding plants (petunias, begonias and geraniums for instance) – hardening off first if they have been living in a greenhouse. Dahlias tubers can also be planted now - and May is the perfect time to hang out your hanging baskets.
Like this article?
You might also enjoy this one on how to attract birds to your garden, this one on balcony gardening or Jane Perrone’s advice on cultivating indoor plants. Alternatively, to enjoy large and beautiful gardens without all the hard work, take a look at our retirement developments across the UK.
