Your Garden In May

May To-Do List

Happy May to you!! My May mantra goes like this…mow, hoe and grow, grow, grow!!

-Mow!! My 11 year olds are in training. My lawn looks like it was chewed by goats. Right now they are mowing around the patches of dandelions but not over them. Fertilize your lawn if you haven’t done so already. Mulch the grass, don’t bag. You will need 80% less nitrogen on your lawn if you do and less water as well.

-Squish – watch for aphids on rose buds and worms on apple trees. Squish or hose off. If you need to you can apply a Safer’s soap to either if there are no bees present. Keep an eye out for smaller native bees.

-Hoe. It’s a lot easier to break the roots of small seedlings than to be on your hands and knees weeding out the big ones. A stirrup or Dutch hoe is a great tool to have!!

-Plant out your Dahlias and Mum’s but keep a remay cloth or row cover handy for the cold nights. Do harden off tender plants before sticking them outside though especially if they’ve been in the greenhouse.

-Stake Peonies, border carnations and other tall perennials while they are still easy to manage.

-If you want more compact sedum, Mum’s and fall Asters, cut them back by about a half now.

  • Top dress or mulch as needed.
  • You can still plant new shrubs, trees and perennials.
  • Start those planters and baskets!! There is a great selection right now in the nurseries for annuals. Try something new!!! Mix in some herbs or grasses into your planter or use the coloured mixed greens for edging, they’re quite lovely in the planters and a great addition to your sandwich!
  • Fertilize if you haven’t done so already.
  • Repot and fertilize indoor plants. Prune as needed.
  • Prune and shape your Heather once the bloom is done.
  • Continue to sow veggie and flower seeds. I’d still keep the more tender seedlings under cover though. It’s been quite cold at night. My tomatoes will stay inside for a bit until the weather starts acting normal.
  • Bring some colour inside! Bring in some bouquets from your garden. You can mix some of those lovely hosta leaves with the lilacs.
  • If you need to move spent bulbs from a planting area or pot, heal them in to the back of the garden somewhere to die down. Don’t cut the leaves.
  • Water gardens. You can get some floating plants for aeration and coverage. It takes about 75% surface coverage through floating plants such as frog bit, water hyacinth, water lettuce, lilies etc. to prevent algae from forming. If the more vigorous floaters such as frog bit become more abundant than you’d like, use a skimmer and add to your compost or directly on the garden.
  • Feed pond fish as long as they are active.
  • Put up pea tee-pees or netting.
  • Continue to add pine needles as mulch to blueberry beds.
  • Edge garden beds.
  • Watch the growing rhubarb like a hawk until you think you have enough for that first rhubarb pie!!!
  • Cheers,
    Laurelle

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