In your garden…May 2022

It doesn’t seem that long since I gave you the tips for April but here we are in May nearly half way through the year!

Here at Thorngrove we have been very busy planting basket plants and bedding plants. We have just started sowing our runner dwarf and French climbing beans. We have also been busy putting out our large selection of Herbaceous plants into the courtyard ready for you to fill your gardens!

I will be starting customers hanging baskets shortly so if you haven’t bought yours in yet, this is a little reminder to bring them in – and I’m hosting workshops from the 7th May (booking advised!). So here are a few tips to keep your garden looking good in May.

May is probably one of the busiest months of the year for gardening, with the planting of pots and hanging baskets – so be sure to stop by Thorngrove for all of your summer bedding plants and basket plants to make your garden look beautiful!

We have a wide selection to choose from here. If it’s possible, keep them inside to let them establish before putting them outside as there is still a risk of frost – even in May! By keeping them inside until they have rooted out will also increase their drought tolerance. Plant your broad, dwarf and French beans either directly into the ground or in to pots in the greenhouse or even in the kitchen or conservatory window.

Now the weather is warming up make sure you water regularly – especially your tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers as they like to be damp, but not water logged. Don’t forget the hanging baskets and pots too.

Mulch your beds and borders. It needs to be at least 2 inches deep as this will help with watering and keeps keep the ground moist. Optimise your watering regime – water early in the morning or late at night to get the most out of your water. You can start collecting and recycling water whenever you can.

Ponds

Remove duckweed and Blanket weed from ponds.

Thin out submerged oxygenators as they will soon take over the pond, lay on the side of the pond to allow any insects, snails and other pond-life to escape back into the water.

Pests

May is possibly the worst month for pests so keep a weather eye open as greenfly, blackfly and whitefly will be multiplying very quickly with warm weather. Spray with a systemic bug killer to help keep them under control. Blackfly can sometimes be controlled by using a soapy spray.

Lawns

Apply nitrogen rich summer feed to your lawn to encourage leafy growth. Always fertilise after mowing to avoid disturbing the fertiliser on the surface, and always read the instructions on the box!

Apply lawn weedkiller to your lawn now.

Water the grass during hot weather – and this is particularly important for newly seeded or turfed lawns. Don’t mow newly seeded grass until it is 3 inches high and set mower blades on high setting.

Lower mower blades to their regular summer cutting height.

Look after your finished spring bulbs for next year. Resist the temptation of cutting them back but leave them to die down naturally as this will help feed the bulb for next year and give you a better display – also water the clumps with a liquid fertiliser.

If you have a Greenhouse, remember to open the vents and door on hot days .You could dampen down the path or floor to increase humidity and this also helps prevent that horrible pest Red Spider.

Harden off Half Hardy plants by putting them out during the day and bringing back undercover at night do this for 7-10 days before planting outside.

Continue dividing herbaceous perennials.

Divide your Hostas as they come into Growth

Lift Forget-me nots to prevent heavy self seeding and reduce spreading.

Trim back spreading plants such as Aubrieta, Alyssum, and Candy tuft after they have flowered to encourage fresh new growth and more blooms.

Continue with the weeding.

Find compost, fertilisers, and chemicals on our online shop! Just click below!

Vegetables

Continue earthing up potatoes.

If you grow Asparagus now is the time to harvest it.

Harden off outdoor tomatoes, courgettes. Squash and pumpkins.

Protect your carrots from carrot fly by covering with fleece.

Make supports for your runner beans using 2.4m (8ft) bamboo canes

Support pea plants using twiggy sticks or pea netting

Keep on top of the weeding as they will compete for water light and nutrients

Fruit

Harvest your Rhubarb

Protect Strawberries with straw (to control weeds and lift the fruits off the ground) cover with netting to keep the birds off.

If you’ve planted new fruit trees keep them well watered as they put on rapid growth, also remove the blossom and fruits – this will help them establish properly during their first year as you want them to put their roots down rather than fruiting so you end up with a good strong tree that will produce more fruit in the future!

If you need any more advice, please to drop in and we’ll be happy to help! Most, if not all of the items I’ve mentioned today can be found here at thorngrove, and even on our online shop if you can’t get to us in person. Have a brilliant month everyone!

Chris.