OUTDOORLIVING
YOUR GARDEN THIS MONTH:
MAY
TOP 10 JOBS THIS MONTH
1. Watch out for late frosts. Protect tender plants.
2. Earth up potatoes, and promptly plant any still remaining.
3. Plant out summer bedding at the end of the month( except in cold areas).
4. Water early and late to get the most out of your water, recycle water when possible. 5. Regularly hoe off weeds. 6. Open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days. 7. Mow lawns weekly. 8. Check for nesting birds before clipping hedges. 9. Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs. 10. Watch out for viburnum beetle and lily beetle grubs.
PLANT OUT SUMMER BEDDING AT THE END OF THE MONTH
To provide quick, easy to grow seasonal flower and foliage colour, and for ease of planning and setting out, bedding plants are usually chosen from the following:
Frost-tender half-hardy annuals( HHA) such as cosmos, nemesia, marigolds and tobacco plants, complete their lifecycle in one season.
If grown from seed they are generally sown indoors and grown on.
Hardy annuals( HA) can be sown outdoors directly into the soil in spring where they are to flower. They withstand frosty conditions without protection. Alyssum, Calendula( pot marigold), Iberis( candytuft) and Limnanthes douglasii( poached egg plant).
Hardy biennials( or short-lived perennials grown as biennials)( B) which complete their lifecycle in two seasons include plants such as Alcea( hollyhock), Dianthus( sweet William), Erysimum( wallflower) and Myosotis( forgetme-not). Ornamental brassicas( kale and cabbage) are ideal for winter displays.
Half-hardy perennials( HHP) live for several years, usually flowering from the second season. Frost-tender, and often discarded at the end of the season, yet they can be overwintered if given frost protection. Examples include: Bellis( daisy), begonia, Pelargonium( geranium) and lobelia. Note: some perennials, such as Bellis( daisy), busy Lizzies and Viola( pansy) are grown as annuals or biennials.
Half-hardy or tender sub-tropical plants such as banana plants, cannas and palms often form a focal point or centrepiece for bedding schemes. Succulents can be useful for creating patterns.
Hardy perennials or shrubs such as Erica( winter-flowering heather), euphorbia and heuchera can give valuable flower and foliage colour through the winter months. Saxifraga, sedum and sempervivum are excellent for green roof and vertical modular wall planting. Additionally, agave, dwarf conifers, cordylines, Phormium( New Zealand flax) and ornamental grasses can provide a central focus for beds and containers.
Bulbs can be mixed with biennial bedding plants will give combinations of colour in the early spring months. Try planting allium, Anemone blanda, crocus, hyacinth, earlyflowering Iris reticulata and tulips.
MOW LAWNS WEEKLY
Mowing is carried out mainly between March and October. Over spring and autumn: Mow once a week. Over summer: On average, mow twice weekly, dropping to once a week during periods of drought. Over winter: Mowing is usually not necessary, unless the weather is mild and the grass is still growing. In this case, mow occasionally with a high cut setting. Do not attempt to do this if the ground conditions are very soft or frozen, or during spells of cold, drying winds.
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