May is the busiest month in the garden with so much to do to keep on top of your outside space. Here’s what you need to do in your garden this month:
Shrubs
Once your spring flowering shrubs have bloomed it’s important to cut them back. When you’re confident that the frost has finished until the autumn, prune your Clematis and tie them in so that they don’t become unruly.
Bulbs
Try and resist temptation to give you’re a garden a complete tidy up and leave foliage in place to provide essential food for bulbs in order to produce flowers next year. Cut off flower heads and any leaves that are yellow.
Perennials
This is the perfect month to get started with your perennials as the ground is warmer and growth will be rapid. Plant out anything that can cope with further frost now, but if you feel that the frost is behind us, tender plants can also be put out. Keep mulching before your plants grow too much and you are able to access between them to see what you’re doing.
Weeding can be done now to ensure you keep on top of things – hoe your garden once a week to keep weeds at bay and to prevent them competing with the plants you do want for water, light and nutrients.
Now is the time to buy more plants – we are lucky to have several great garden centres in the area including Rouken Glen and Caulders where you can get lots of advice and purchase little plants to put into any spare spaces.
Put in supports for your plants now because once they are growing it can be difficult to keep them up. It’s better to give them something to climb up from the off otherwise they can become damaged. Canes or pea sticks are ideal for sweet peas, roses, runner beans and peas.
Lawn
Your grass will start to rapidly grow from now, so start to mow once a week and if you leave the grass to get too long, don’t go too short but work your way down with your lawnmower to avoid damaging your lawn. You could even invest in a robotic lawnmower to keep your lawn looking great and with low maintenance. Weed and feed the lawn now to fill in any damaged areas.
Annuals
Now is a great time to put together your window boxes or hanging basketsto bring some colour and life to your garden.