Gardening Tips for May from Lewis Cottage Garden

May is a busy month in the garden and the number of jobs to do can be overwhelming. Here Richard Orton of Lewis Cottage Garden shares some tips for this month but urges us to go at our own pace.

Oh my goodness, is it just me or are you all chasing your tails in the garden too? May has this peculiar habit of creeping up on gardeners without us noticing until suddenly it dawns on us that everything (and I mean everything) has grown at least 12 inches. That’s weeds, flowers, fruit bushes, vegetables – just everything. Experience has long told me that at this time of year it’s best to take a deep breath and just crack on at your own speed, doing things in your own time and what doesn’t get done….well there’s always next year.

Here are some jobs to be getting on in the coming weeks.

• Watch out for late frosts if you’re thinking of planting out your annuals, runner beans and French beans.

• Check for nesting birds before you clip your hedges, waiting a week won’t hurt the hedge but will help the birds!

• Lift, divide and replant spring bulbs in the green to increase your stock for next year.
• Water early and late in the day to get the maximum benefit from watering and recycle water wherever possible.
• Bedding plants such as cosmos, nasturtium, French marigolds and sunflowers can be planted out after any risk of frost has passed.
• Time to remove wallflowers, spent forget-me-nots and any other early spring bedding and compost them.
• As the weather warms up make sure you regularly feed and water greenhouse plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines.
• If you open your greenhouse during the day don’t forget to close it down in the evening as night time temperatures can still drop quite sharply.
• Put rubber tops to bamboo canes otherwise you’ll poke your eye out!
• Topiary can be trimmed regularly to keep it in shape.

• It may seem odd right now but check that you have greenhouse shading available to prevent it overheating.
• Harden off your half hardy annuals and hanging baskets in readiness for putting outside.
• Cut back hardy geraniums at the end of the month when most have finished flowering to get another show towards the end of the summer.
• First salad crops should be ready to harvest but make sure you sow more every 2 weeks so you have a succession of harvests.
• Use rain water to water pot grown blueberries as any lime in tap water reduces the soil acidity over time.
• Keep your bird baths topped up with water.

Some of the Devon gardens open for the National Gardens Scheme in the next month

26^th May – Little Dinworthy Bradworthy.

25^th& 26^th May -  Bulland Farm, Ashburton

1^st& 2^ndJune – Shutelake, Butterleigh

1^st& 2^ndJune – Brendon Gardens, Lynton

Further information on the garden at Lewis Cottage can be found here