The month of May means a cooling of temperatures and shorter days. It’s a great time to get out in the garden and prepare your yard for the cooler days ahead with our May gardening tips.
What to Do in Your Garden in May
Here’s what to do in your garden in May:
Shrubs, Trees & Climbers
- Prune fruit trees ensuring you don’t remove next year’s fruiting spurs *
- Prune and thin out climbing roses and deciduous trees
- Start planting bare-rooted shrubs and trees
- Prune Hydrangea stem above two plump buds and remove old branches at ground level
Bulbs, Perennials & Annuals
- Prune summer flowering perennials such as salvias, buddleia and daisies.
- Mulch flowerbeds
- Prepare new beds – dig over the soil, working in compost and spread with a protective layer of mulch
- Now is your last chance to plant winter and spring flowering bulbs
- Divide out evergreen perennials – lift them from the soil, divide them at the roots and re-plant into well-conditioned soil
Tubs & Containers
- Plant strawberries in hanging baskets and pots
- Plant Hyacinths and Tulips in tubs and pots for spring flowering
- Reduce the amount of water given to any indoor potted plants
Lawns & Hedges
- Apply a slow release fertiliser to give one last boost before the growing phase slows and to provide food over the cooler weeks and months
- Repair any bare patches
- Treat any weeds and pests to stop them from taking over during the colder weather
- Aerate any compaction soil and apply lime if the soil is acidic – complete a soil pH test to determine
- Trim hedges to keep them compact and bushy from ground level
- Gather any fallen leaves and use them for your compost bin
Our Top Tip for May in the Garden
Our top tip for May in the garden is that it’s a great time to make new plants from cuttings. Just take a 10cm cutting from hardwood herbs such as bay and rosemary – remove the lower leaves, dip cuttings into hormone powder and plant in small containers of premium potting mix. Keep the cuttings slightly moist and shelter from strong sun and wind.
If you need help with your yard this May just contact the team at Perth Gardening – it’s what we do!
*Don’t prune Apricot trees until spring.