It’s a busy time in the garden at the moment and we’re trying to get ready for our open gardens on July 5th as well!
After a period of dry, sunny weather with a drying wind, we’ve eventually had a shower of rain, although nowhere as much as originally forecast. I was hoping for a few days of steady rain because some of our borders are very dry and I’ve been having to water the new planting to help it establish.
Work in the garden is coming on nicely and one project we’ve completed is the steel framework to support the cordon fruit trees that divide the veggie plot from the rest of the garden. Hugh from Lincolnshire Plant Supports made it for us and it looks great and has made a feature in itself. I still have some planting to do in the borders and Jill is planning to paint the summerhouse and old stable doors to give them a facelift. The deadline is 5th July in readiness for our NGS opening! I’ve also had a sort out in the greenhouse and got my tomato plants in the self-watering pots which make it so much easier when we are away at shows.
The new apple support in the garden.
The greenhouse full of plants.
From 7th-10th May Jill and I will be at the Malvern Spring Show on the Potting Shed stage giving talks & demos. Then on Friday 29th & Saturday 30th May I’m a guest at the Scone Palace Garden Fair near Perth, where I’m giving gardening talks and joining the Q&A panel along with George Anderson & Carole Baxter from the Beechgrove garden. Now in its 5th year, I’ve heard great things about the event and I’m really looking forward to a trip to Scotland.
Jobs for May
In many areas it’s still a little too early to plant out tender flowers and vegetables, but now is the perfect time to start hardening off tender plants by standing them outside in a sheltered area or cold frame. If a late frost is forecast, cover them over with a couple of layers of fleece for protection. After a couple of weeks, they will be acclimatised to being outside and can be planted.
If weeds are a problem in your lawn, now is a good time to control them. I certainly don’t mind a few weeds, but I’ve noticed some young ragwort plants growing in the lawn, so I’ll use a long thin trowel to dig them out. Of course, if you want to can use a weed and feed to do the job.
Spring flowering shrubs such as spiraea, ribes or forsythia that have finished flowering can be pruned if needed. The aim is to cut out some of the stems that have flowered and to shape the shrub. Nothing too drastic though!
Make sure that climbing plants are well supported as they often make vigorous growth at this time of the year. Long new shoots may need training and tying to wires or trellis.
Any trees, shrubs, roses or perennials that were planted this spring should be kept moist at their roots to help them establish. In dry weather I tend to give the soil around the plants a good watering once or twice a week depending on the weather.
Support herbaceous perennials as they start to grow, It’s much easier to do this before the new growth gets too tall.
Plant up summer containers and hanging baskets with a selection of flowering and trailing plants that will give a wonderful display all through the summer.
Keep sowing vegetable seeds directly into the garden such as salads, carrots, beetroot, parsnips, peas, chard, spinach and many more.
Now is also the ideal time to sow runner and French beans either into the garden or in large cell trays. I prefer the latter method and sowing now means you’ll have strong plant ready for planting out at the end of April.
Around mid-May you can hang pheromone traps in fruit trees to protect apples and plums from the maggots that burrow into the fruits. One trap will protect around six trees and you need different traps for apples and plums.
Plant tomatoes, peppers and aubergines plants into the greenhouse border or large pots.
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Happy gardening
Martin Fish. www.martinfish.com