In the Garden: May is a month of promise 

AND then it was May, how did that happen? So much to do in the garden at ths time of the year as the risk of bad frosts lessens and thoughts of planting out transplants begin to become a reality.

Most spring bulbs have ed their peak at this stage and many are melting back into the soil. Do to leave the dying foliage of daffodils and other spring bulbs naturalized in grass areas as their foliage needs to remain intact as long as possible to allow food to return to the bulb, fuelling flowering for next spring.

Now is a good time to dig up and divide any groups of daffodil bulbs that did not flower well. Daffodils divide and create new bulbs underground each year and the bulbs can become overcrowded as the clump increases and compete for water and nutrients resulting in poor flower production. 

Digging them up and dividing, replanting in a few locations around the garden and including a feed of homemade compost will result in better flower production next year and spreading the spring colour throughout the garden.

New foliage is everywhere as the buds of deciduous plants burst into leaf and no nicer bouquet at this time of year than a bunch of different deciduous trees or shrubs with their fresh new sparking leaves unblemished and full of vim and vigour for the growing year ahead.

SO MUCH PROMISE

May reveals so much promise for the garden with most plants looking at their best revealing fresh new growth with rising temperatures. Also a result of a rise in temperatures is increasing aphid populations so remain on the look out in glasshouses and polytunnels for any signs of these little sugar suckers on the foliage of young plants.

Companion planting will help to keep their numbers at bay by encouraging hover flies, ladybirds and other beneficial insects into protected environments. Growing flowers among vegetables gives added interest and colour to the garden also. Some of my favourites are poached egg plant, calendula, french marigold, nasturtiums and cosmos. All of these flowers are really easy to grow and many of them will self seed freely if allowed to run to seed making the job easier each year. The umbelliferous flowers of carrot, parsley and fennel are also great for attracting insects to the garden.

TIME TO BE VIGILANT

At this time of year it is all about keeping things in balance and making sure that the lovely new growth of plants is allowed to grow and develop and not be devoured by plentiful pests.

Slugs and snails can be problematic for the fresh young foliage of transplants and there are a number of measures that can be employed to keep their numbers at bay.

Good housekeeping to avoid a build up of eggs being laid, using grit and egg shells to deter their movement in the garden, beer traps will need to be at ground level, checked regularly and beer replenished for best success, encouraging birds like thrushes into the garden to keep snails at bay, mulching with sheeps wool and using biological controls like nematodes are all strategies that can be used to keep numbers at bay.

Keeping young seedlings up off of the ground on a bench or counter top will allow them germinate and develop to strong transplants and this gives them a better start in the garden. Staying vigilant now will reap rewards later and help to avoid disappointment and frustration.

ARRIVAL OF SWALLOWS

The swallows have arrived a few weeks later than usual in my neck of the woods and it is great to see them back. Do that ‘One swallow does not a summer make’ however and it is best to remain cautious about night time temperatures for the next few weeks to avoid disappointment loosing plants to later frosts.

Overwintered plants like dahlias and pelargoniums can be hardened off but keep that horticultural fleece close to hand for colder nights. 

They should be growing well at this stage in fresh compost after remaining dormant under cover for the winter months. It is a good time to take cuttings to increase stock of both and they will root readily at this time of year.

These weeks are the ones that we have been waiting patiently for over the winter months and it can be an overwhelming time of the year as the growth surges forward.

to take time to stop and ire the beauty of all that is unfurling around us and not to get too bogged down with the tasks that need to be done. I never tick everything off of the list and so far the world has kept on turning! Happy Spring Gardening!

PLANT OF THE WEEK

I first saw this plant growing in the tropical garden at Great Dixter a few years ago and it’s nettle like foliage made me look twice, it was Boehemeria plantanifolia ( pictured above) planted at the junction of two paths drawing the eye in. Luckily there were seeds of this plant for sale in the shop onsite which were sown on arrival home and have been returning every year since as the clump steadily increases in size. Also known as sycamore leaf false nettle it is in the nettle family, native to Central and Eastern Asia, a non stinging plant that produces lush foliage throughout the summer months which have a great texture and tassel like flowers later in the summer. 

The newly emerging foliage is a sight at this time of year with its bronze, golden and pinky hues turning green as the season progresses.

Preferring a shaded woodland habitat and a moist but well drained soil, it will grow to about 1.5m in height and provide excellent contrasting foliage in a border.