Ask a garden designer: What do I do in the garden in May - Many may consider to be the best months in the gardening calendar - a time when beautiful spring plants and bulbs suddenly emerge? dormancy and burst into life. Chelsea Flower Show, of course, is a major asset this month, while in the woods, there is a sea of hyacinths, and gardens everywhere show signs of promise for the coming year.
Gardenia
plants gay dahlias
Dahlias add that the end of summer burst of color with large, happy, sunny flowers, and May is the ideal time to plant these tubers. There are so many varieties and they are all wonderful as cut flowers for the house. You can even grow them in large outdoor pots.
Plant them about 10-15cm deep and make sure the "eyes" - the necks of tubers of dahlias pass small sharp pieces - turned to the top. The hole should be wide enough to accommodate the tuber, then cover it with soil and water well.
Most varieties will need staking large as they grow, so make sure you do that with good support or canes with string. Once they start flowering, feed with potash liquid fertilizer high biweekly and deadhead regularly.
Browse creative ways to display cut flowers in your home
Dahlias add that the end of summer burst of color with large, happy, sunny flowers, and May is the ideal time to plant these tubers. There are so many varieties and they are all wonderful as cut flowers for the house. You can even grow them in large outdoor pots.
Plant them about 10-15cm deep and make sure the "eyes" - the necks of tubers of dahlias pass small sharp pieces - turned to the top. The hole should be wide enough to accommodate the tuber, then cover it with soil and water well.
Most varieties will need staking large as they grow, so make sure you do that with good support or canes with string. Once they start flowering, feed with potash liquid fertilizer high biweekly and deadhead regularly.
Browse creative ways to display cut flowers in your home
Claudia De Yong design Garden
Boost your shady corners
Aquilegia (columbine) between flowers between May and June (it can be planted between March and may) and prefers dappled shade. It is a pretty flower, or with a single or double form, and good for attracting bees, too. No garden should be without them and they naturalize in a woodland setting.
Aquilegia are very good at self-seeding and can enter small cracks in the coating, but it can create a very nice effect. They look good against the grass, too, like the soft, feathery Stipa tenuissima . beautiful varieties of Aquilegia include the double form 'Nora Barlow' (photo) and, for a deeper color, 'Black Barlow'.
Aquilegia (columbine) between flowers between May and June (it can be planted between March and may) and prefers dappled shade. It is a pretty flower, or with a single or double form, and good for attracting bees, too. No garden should be without them and they naturalize in a woodland setting.
Aquilegia are very good at self-seeding and can enter small cracks in the coating, but it can create a very nice effect. They look good against the grass, too, like the soft, feathery Stipa tenuissima . beautiful varieties of Aquilegia include the double form 'Nora Barlow' (photo) and, for a deeper color, 'Black Barlow'.
Claudia De Yong Garden Design
know your onions
Alliums are at their best in May and planting in major galleries around the beds wonderful. Being of the onion family, they like good drainage. They tend to have flexible sheets that hang and look a bit messy, so be sure to plant them between other perennials or shrubs for support.
A good variety is reliable 'Purple Sensation'. Planting depth of 10-15cm and the same degree of each other. The larger varieties, such as "Globemaster" and Cristophii should be planted 30cm apart because of the size of their head during flowering.
Alliums are at their best in May and planting in major galleries around the beds wonderful. Being of the onion family, they like good drainage. They tend to have flexible sheets that hang and look a bit messy, so be sure to plant them between other perennials or shrubs for support.
A good variety is reliable 'Purple Sensation'. Planting depth of 10-15cm and the same degree of each other. The larger varieties, such as "Globemaster" and Cristophii should be planted 30cm apart because of the size of their head during flowering.
Pamela Crawford & Associates
Hanging flowers for all to admire
Hanging baskets brighten up any entrance to a house and are so charming. You can mix the herbs with annual or perennial, do all herbs, ferns or just plants if the basket is to hang in a shady spot.
Make sure you plant around the basket, use a good compost and add a slow-release fertilizer and water retention crystals. Keep deadheading for continued flowering.
See insider style tips, you can fly the Chelsea Flower Show
Hanging baskets brighten up any entrance to a house and are so charming. You can mix the herbs with annual or perennial, do all herbs, ferns or just plants if the basket is to hang in a shady spot.
Make sure you plant around the basket, use a good compost and add a slow-release fertilizer and water retention crystals. Keep deadheading for continued flowering.
See insider style tips, you can fly the Chelsea Flower Show
Claudia Yong Garden design
Get staking
May is really the last chance you have to add media to your plants perennial beds before becoming too crowded for you to be able to get in growth. You can use pea sticks - the company, the young branches of birch or hazel (photo) - to create a rustic perforated dome looking to grow your plants inside.
For quite low growing plants, the use 1.5m pea sticks around the edge of the mat and bend inwards and through, weaving them together at the top; your dome will end around 40cm high. You can also use hazel wigwams or do some media with sticks and string. wind damage to plants such as delphiniums is upsetting, so early staking is desirable.
May is really the last chance you have to add media to your plants perennial beds before becoming too crowded for you to be able to get in growth. You can use pea sticks - the company, the young branches of birch or hazel (photo) - to create a rustic perforated dome looking to grow your plants inside.
For quite low growing plants, the use 1.5m pea sticks around the edge of the mat and bend inwards and through, weaving them together at the top; your dome will end around 40cm high. You can also use hazel wigwams or do some media with sticks and string. wind damage to plants such as delphiniums is upsetting, so early staking is desirable.
Claudia De Yong Garden Design
Add prairie
Everyone loves a meadow - and there's nothing better to attract bees. Y e do not need masses of space, either - you can even buy mixtures of these days that will give you instant annual meadow in a window box! But if you have the space and patience, bees also benefit from a large meadow that you can adapt.
Make sure you sow good seeds for your soil conditions, and include yellow rattle in the mix - will weaken the grass and allow for other species to thrive. You can also leave buttercups grow and add Camassia bulbs (photo) who are happy with the hard floor for a beautiful spring show.
Everyone loves a meadow - and there's nothing better to attract bees. Y e do not need masses of space, either - you can even buy mixtures of these days that will give you instant annual meadow in a window box! But if you have the space and patience, bees also benefit from a large meadow that you can adapt.
Make sure you sow good seeds for your soil conditions, and include yellow rattle in the mix - will weaken the grass and allow for other species to thrive. You can also leave buttercups grow and add Camassia bulbs (photo) who are happy with the hard floor for a beautiful spring show.
www.KarlGercens.com
Prune evergreen hedges now
hedges start to look untidy and in need of a good spring haircut. Although some people leave their cutting Buxus (Box) Hedges until Derby Day (June 6), you can give them a plate now if you prefer. Buxus does not take to be cut back hard and it is better to use hand shears to avoid bruising, which will transform the brown leaves.
When pruning evergreen hedges, are intended to eliminate a third of the old wood in total. Thin on all overcrowded shoots and, when completed, give the hedges a good mulch and feed. You can use a general purpose fertilizer or with high potassium content, or even the use of food rose. Remember to check for nesting birds before trimming hedges.
hedges start to look untidy and in need of a good spring haircut. Although some people leave their cutting Buxus (Box) Hedges until Derby Day (June 6), you can give them a plate now if you prefer. Buxus does not take to be cut back hard and it is better to use hand shears to avoid bruising, which will transform the brown leaves.
When pruning evergreen hedges, are intended to eliminate a third of the old wood in total. Thin on all overcrowded shoots and, when completed, give the hedges a good mulch and feed. You can use a general purpose fertilizer or with high potassium content, or even the use of food rose. Remember to check for nesting birds before trimming hedges.
Bliss Garden Design
Prune clematis beginning -flowering
early flowering varieties of clematis, such as Alpina and Montana and the evergreen Armandii can be pruned now. Do not be afraid to cut Montana , which can be very strong, with a pair of scissors: it never fails to push.
With other early bloomers that flourished in growth last year, prune dead shoots and winter damage to a pair of healthy buds. Always apply a general fertilizer after pruning.
early flowering varieties of clematis, such as Alpina and Montana and the evergreen Armandii can be pruned now. Do not be afraid to cut Montana , which can be very strong, with a pair of scissors: it never fails to push.
With other early bloomers that flourished in growth last year, prune dead shoots and winter damage to a pair of healthy buds. Always apply a general fertilizer after pruning.
Claudia De Yong Garden Design
Add the vegetable patch a little love
weeds are really starting to take root in May especially between your newly sprouting vegetables, so keep on top of them. Start fine on carrots, lettuce and spinach and continue to "earth up" potatoes, which means covering new growth to stop any possible freezing the blackening
There are so things that can be sown this month :. green beans, beans, beets, chicory, kale, peas, radishes, spring onions, cabbage and broccoli. You may want to protect carrot fly carrots -. If you can get a horticultural fleece
weeds are really starting to take root in May especially between your newly sprouting vegetables, so keep on top of them. Start fine on carrots, lettuce and spinach and continue to "earth up" potatoes, which means covering new growth to stop any possible freezing the blackening
There are so things that can be sown this month :. green beans, beans, beets, chicory, kale, peas, radishes, spring onions, cabbage and broccoli. You may want to protect carrot fly carrots -. If you can get a horticultural fleece
Laara Copley-Smith Garden & Landscape Design
is that the "Chelsea chop
by the end of the month, perennials late flowering will benefit from the so-called" Chelsea chop. " It may seem hard, but you'll have more compact plants that are shorter legs and will most prolific flowers, even if they might be in bloom a little later.
The plants that you can do this to include sedum, Echinacea purpurea , and rudbeckia Phlox paniculata . Other plants are beneficial and asters Campanula Lactiflora .
Cut the plants with scissors or pruners to about a third and you will have much fuller plant with more flowers.
Tell us ...
What do you do in your garden this month? We would like to hear your advice or see your photos in the comments below.
by the end of the month, perennials late flowering will benefit from the so-called" Chelsea chop. " It may seem hard, but you'll have more compact plants that are shorter legs and will most prolific flowers, even if they might be in bloom a little later.
The plants that you can do this to include sedum, Echinacea purpurea , and rudbeckia Phlox paniculata . Other plants are beneficial and asters Campanula Lactiflora .
Cut the plants with scissors or pruners to about a third and you will have much fuller plant with more flowers.
Tell us ...
What do you do in your garden this month? We would like to hear your advice or see your photos in the comments below.