With May finally here and summer fast approaching, many of us will be spending more and more time outside in our gardens. While March and April may seem like the busiest time for gardening, there is still plenty to be getting on with this month, particularly when it comes to lawn care and planting out, an expert has explained. Michael, who is known to his more than 290,000 TikTok followers as @themediterraneangardener, said that if you have not already trimmed your lavender, you should do that now to stop it from going leggy.
He also explained that May is a great time to do lawn care activities like aerating and re-seeing — and you can also apply a summer lawn feed to your grass to encourage leafy growth. Another task for this month is to plant out dahlias, tubers, and cannas. However, you should be careful to do this “after the risk of frost has passed”, Michael warned.
Over the coming weeks, gardeners should tie the new shoots of climbing plants like clematis and wisteria to their supports, and harden off tender plants raised indoors.
The gardener explained that this is also the time to start planting hanging baskets and reduce snail populations “by going on regular hunts, especially during damp weather.”
When it comes to planting seeds in May, a solid choice is pumpkins, as they will be ready to harvest in October if you plant them now. Gardener Ish, known as @gardening.with.ish on social media, said it was “super simple” to get started with pumpkins. He explained: “Plant them directly in the ground, about an inch below a well-rotted compost, and usually seed them around about four feet apart. It sounds a bit mad, but once it starts to spread out and grow, it’ll soon fill the space.”
Ish also said that French beans and runner beans were good options as you can sow them directly outside in the ground or in a pot. “Just make sure they’ve got something to climb up and they’ll absolutely thrive,” he added.
“If you think you’ve missed the window for directly sowing flowers outside, you couldn’t be any more wrong,” Ish told followers. He explained that there were so many varieties that you can plant in May, including marigolds, cosmos, zinnias, and cornflowers.
As the weather warms up, it’s a good time to give everything in the garden a clean, such as outdoor furniture, Michael explained. He also said you should use this time to plant out summer bedding and tender annuals, such as sunflowers, after the last frost has passed.
