Gardening jobs for May

Plants have started flowering and the risk of frost will soon pass, so this month is a brilliant month to get planting all those seedlings and small plants into the garden:

• Dahlias are now ready to be pinched and planted out into their final position, or to be added to larger containers.
• Climbing plants will start sending new shoots- tie them in so that they can climb up walls, fences and structures. This includes clematis, wisteria and honeysuckle.
• Direct sow flower seeds such as poppies for colour from August to Autumn
• Apply a liquid feed (such as seaweed feed) to spring bulbs to encourage a brilliant display next year
• Remove faded spring bedding, such as wallflowers and forget-me-nots, once faded and add to your compost bin
• Check lily bulbs for lily beetles and larvae because if they're left they can strip back plants
• Chelsea Chop: more info on a blog post coming soon. Basically cutting a 1/3rd of some plants back will create bushier plants. But please check which plants we can do this too on the blog post as it isn't a universal rule!
• You could take part in no mow May- this can help pollinators. I usually leave some areas of my garden as 'no mow'.
• Water containers and pots in particularly dry periods, and feed them with a Seaweed feed to encourage strong growth.
• Don't forget to sit back, relax and enjoy your garden!