The RHS Tips For May
The RHS tips for May
- Watch out for late frosts.
- Earth up potatoes
- Plant out Summer bedding
- Water early and late in the day to make the most of your water.
- Keep hoeing weeds on dry days as they will die off quicker.
- Open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days.
- Mow lawns weekly.
- Check for nesting birds before clipping hedges.
- Lift and divide clumps of Spring flowering bulbs.
- Watch out for viburnum beetle and lily beetle grubs.
Time to cut back Spring flowering shrubs and watch out for the shrubs with variegated leaves as they will slowly try to revert to green. Cut out the patches of plain shoots. Forsythia is one of the shrubs that needs to be cut back now to be assured of a good display next year. Proof if needed was the plant in Nige and Jude’s garden on Church Rise which was beautiful. Montana clematis can be reduced in size to make it more manageable, this should not harm the plant.
Take softwood cuttings of fuchsia, hydrangea and Forsythia now.
Daffodils can look a mess as they fade, so lift them after you make sure all the heads have been taken off and dig in to a corner of the garden and when they have completely died back lift and store for the autumn.
One of the things I’m guilty of is not putting supports in early enough. It is a lot easier to do when the plants are small, then tie in as they develop.
Crane fly larvae are leatherjackets and this Spring they have been causing a lot of damage to lawns in the area. There are no chemicals available to gardeners. Nematodes are available and should be used as soon as possible after purchasing. These are only really effective during September/October time. To prevent this problem, improve drainage where possible and encourage strong growth
On May 11th the W I are holding a table top sale at the Wenvoe Community Centre; to complement the other stalls there will be locally grown plants for sale as well as good gardening tips. All under the watchful eye of Madeleine Rees. If ever you are in need of advice on any gardening matters then make haste to the library where Joyce Hoy can answer your queries especially on Alpines. As for Vegetable expertise please look no further than Wenvoe show multiple winner Gordon Jones. You really could not do any better.
Around the village it’s great to see people tending their gardens. The effort that some put in is astounding. If you would like to be included in an Open Garden afternoon in July contact Brian and Sandra Jones on 02920594248. I know some that don’t like attention but it would be good to see the likes of Gerry and Ieuan come forward, if only for me to say that I know these gardeners.
Take care and happy gardening