We are having lovely weather (mostly) so let’s enjoy the last month of spring in our gardens. And there are so many garden tasks for May that we could garden dawn til dusk… Luckily May is one of the three months with lots of daylight hours so we have time to garden and enjoy our gardens.
3 Gardening Tasks for May
- These longer days as we head towards summer encourages most plants into growth – including weeds! Check out Making Liquid Fertiliser from Weeds for a good use to puot theme to.
- Planting up of hanging baskets and containers can begin in earnest now. For some ideas for hanging baskets for shady corners and unusual containers, why not check out the Plews blogs Plants for Hanging Basketsand Edible Plants for Hanging Baskets
- Tulips are in bloom this month, and if you’ve forgotten what sort of tulip you have, click the link for help in identifying them! I even tell you which ones are reliable for flowering in subsequent years…
Gardening Tasks for May – extra
“Ne’er cast a clout till May is out”
A gardener’s interpretation of this old saying is – we still can get frosts, snow and rough weather despite that hot weather we had! Have horticultural fleece at the ready when you’re hardening off plants – just in case.
A second sowing of both edible plants and annual flowers is a good idea this month. This is referred to a successional sowing and is an excellent way to prevent a glut of runner beans and all your flowers going over at the same time!
If you haven’t the room for seeds, look out for pots of seedlings or small plug plants.
Gardening Workshops in Marie’s garden
Small group workshops so you get plenty of attention. There are a range of topics, some seasonal, but currently on offer are –
- Free Plants – How & When to Divide Herbaceous Perennials
- Is it too late to sow veggie seeds?
- Planning for a flower filled August garden
See Plews Gardening Workshops for more details or head to Eventbrite to book your place
With a mix of practical, hands on demonstration and guided practice, you’ll go home with more gardening knowledge and something to grow on in your own garden.
Prices from £30 – £53 depending on length & materials provided, includes tea / coffee on arrival & Eventbrite booking fee. There are also Earlybird offers
Location is Biggin Hill / Westerham (just inside M25). NB there are steps as the garden is on a hill
Gardens to visit this month
Although many have been flowering early this year, May is still Bluebell month.
Did you know that around half the world’s bluebell population grows in the British Isles? Hyacinthoides non scripta are the British native species, more delicate in leaf than the hybrids and more scented too.
As about 70% of bluebells grow in woods, heading for woodland is a good idea; Woodland Trust have a helpful link to 1300 bluebell woods, so you should find one that’s local to you.
May is also Rhododendron and lilac time! I walked through Rhododendrons and Azaleas at Riverhill Himalayan Gardens this last week – as absolute delight (and the ground below was full of bluebells too).
Some of my planned garden visits this month are those belonging to the National Garden Scheme. Those near to you have the extra advantage of growing plants which are likely to grow happily in your own garden (and theres usually tasty cake too!)
But whatever the spring garden you visit, enjoy the array of small perennials, flowering shrubs, lots of scent and a delightful preponderance of blue and yellow flowers.
And talking of open gardens … if you can’t make it to the Workshops, you can still follow Marie’s garden & its renovation on Instagram or Facebook It’ll be at least a year before she can open her garden but you can watch the progress until then!
Garden Talks
Are you the person who organises talks for your local gardening club, WI, U3A, history society, or general club?
Have a look at the Talks page to see if Marie’s wide ranging garden related topics might interest you and your members. Recent ones given include Planting for Shady Front Gardens Trees for Small Gardens, and Record keeping – how necessary is it for most gardeners?
Attending one of Marie’s gardening talks is more than just sitting in a chair and being spoken to. It’s a learning experience and an inspirational journey. She brings her vast knowledge to life with captivating stories, simple explanations and demonstrations.
Would you like even more gardening tips, garden design ideas and seasonal gardens to visit?
Why not check out the gardening blog articles on a range of topics in Plews Potting Shed?
Marie’s writing has achieved Plews Potting Shed’s standing as it’s in the Top Ten Garden Design blogs and Top Thirty Gardening blogs by Feedspot and she has previously been shortlisted in the prestigious Garden Media Guild Awards.
It’s a garden designer’s blog with a difference. A plantswoman, conservationist and quirky thinker, Marie pulls together different strands of garden related ideas and non-gardening ideas to delight you even if you’re an armchair gardener.
“interesting even if you have no intention of picking up a spade”
Thanks Tim, who is a regular reader if a reluctant gardener!
Recent blogs include Tips for Dog Friendly Gardens and Tulip-o-mania
Plews Gardening eBooks for You and Free Gardening Printables
Gardening printables for you
a range of free downloadable and printable PDFs on seasonal gardening, garden history snippets, vegetable gardening, garden design, themed planting lists for inspiration, garden planning, record keeping for you and your garden. For example. A Plants for Chalk Soil List which goes with the Tips for Gardening on Chalk Soil blog.
Plews eBooks
Available to purchase from Plews (via PayPal); safe download directly from the website; the eBooks are available from Amazon and Kindle Library too. Our most popular eBook is
“Compost and Composting”
Available via Amazon
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(Amazon review)
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