What to do in May

May is a crucial month in the garden as temperatures rise and the risk of frost diminishes. It’s a busy time for planting, sowing and preparing your garden for the growing season ahead:

Things to do in May:

• Protect tender plants from late frosts.
• Prune spring flowering shrubs and prune clematis montana after it has flowered.
• Trim box and other formal hedging lightly.
• Continue taking cuttings from herbaceous perennials.
• Plant out dahlias at the end of the month.
• Protect young plants from slugs and snails.
• Clear out spring bedding for planting summer bedding plants.
• Thin out annuals and vegetables sown earlier.
• Mow weekly if you prefer a more manicured lawn.
• Apply lawn fertilisers now if necessary.
• Sow and plant out tender vegetables and continue successional sowing of vegetables.
• Remove all frost protection from plants at the end of the month.
• Ventilate any greenhouse of conservatories in warmer weather.
• Move tender plants outside for the summer.

Last Chance:

• Sow or turf new lawns before the conditions become too dry.
• Finish planting evergreen shrubs.

Getting Ahead:

• Sow biennials for next year’s spring bedding plants.
• Inspect plants regularly for signs of pest and disease and nip potentials problems in the bud.

The Weather

• May is mild to warm, with average day time temperatures ranging from 14°C to 16°C and night time temperatures between 6°C and 8°C. Frost is unlikely as daytime temperatures start to feel pleasant rising as the month progresses.
• Expect moderate rainfall with occasional thunderstorms.
• The days are getting longer with more sunshine, though showers can still occur.

General Tasks

Vegetables & Herbs

Fruit

The Flower Garden

The Greenhouse

Containers

Trees & Shrubs

Hedges

The Lawn

Wildlife and the Pond

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