May

May is one of the busiest months in the gardening calendar, with plants catching up from their cold, slow start and thriving under milder conditions.

Everything is growing at a great pace, and dark, drab winter seems like a dim and distant memory. Early cherry and plum blossom is giving way to apple and pear, while bluebells and forget-me-nots carpet the landscape.

General Gardening Tips:

• Wipe large leaves such as those found on rubber plants, Swiss cheese plants and umbrella plants, with a damp cloth
• Smaller leaved plants can be dipped in a bowl of clean water
• Do not attempt to wash the leaves of ‘hairy’ leaved plants such as African violets, use a soft brush such as a paint brush or a used tooth brush
• May is an ideal time to create ponds / pools
• Support herbaceous border plants with canes, where they will be needed in the late summer
• Prune plum trees, paint fresh cuts with Arborex to prevent infection
• Take soft wood cuttings from thyme. Thyme cuttings take easily, so they can be stuck in the soil or in pots. Remember that Thyme likes full sun and hates to be grown in the shade
• If becoming boisterous, prune spring flowering clematis including alpine and macropetala after flowering. Use cuttings to propagate new plants
• Thin out seedlings, leaving the strongest growing plants. Water the soil gently beforehand to reduce soil disturbance
• Protect plants from slugs and snails with slug pellets, course grit or traps. Alternatively try to encourage birds, hedgehogs and frogs to your garden – all prey on slugs and snails
• Remove cloches in late spring. Open cloches ends to allow pollinating insects access to flowering plants
• As daffodils fade, remove the flower heads. Don’t cut back the leaves – leave them to die back naturally

Handy tips for the Lawn

• Begin regular cutting of your lawn
• If the grass is long – increase the height adjustment of the mower to the highest setting once this first cut has been done, go back over the lawn and cut it again on a lower setting
• Continue to cut the grass weekly and give it a feed if necessary, depending on the weather and how healthy the lawn is
• Cutting weekly will keep the grass thick, green and free of weeds

Plants at their best ...	We recommend Sowing ...	It's a great time to Harvest...	It's a good time to Harvest...
Iris Azales Viburnums Red Buckeye Horse Chesnut Empress Tree Kousa Dogwood Spireas Ninebarks Spiderworts Wild Geraniums Bluestar Columbine Coral Bells Viola Klose Trumpet-Honeysuckle Clematis Flowering Onions Spanish Bluebells Deonis Deutzias Itea Fringe tree Big Leaf Magnolia Styrax	Beetroots Broad Beans Broccoli & Calabrese Cabbages Carrots Cauliflowers Celeriac & Kohl Rabi Chard Courgettes Marrows Squashes Fennel French Beans Leeks Lettuces Onions & Shallots Peas Mange touts Sugar Snaps Runner Beans Salad Leaves Spinach Sweet corn Turnips Swedes	Aubergines Peppers Chillies Brussels sprouts Kale Cabbages Cauliflowers Celeriac & Kohl Rabi Celery Chard Courgettes Marrows Cucumbers Fennel French Beans Lettuces Peas Mange touts Sugar Snaps Potatoes Pumpkins Winter Squashes Runner Beans Salad Leaves Spinach Sweet corn Tomatoes	Broad Beans Beetroots Broccoli & Calabrese Cabbages Carrots Cauliflowers Celeriac & Kohl Chard Leeks Lettuces Onions & Shallots Peas Mange touts Sugar Snaps Salad Leaves Spinach Sweet corn Turnips Swedes