Essential Tasks for a Thriving Garden This Month

As spring fully establishes itself, May brings longer days and warmer temperatures that make it the perfect time to truly get your garden into shape. The garden is buzzing with activity this month, with many plants in full bloom and vegetables ready for planting. Here's your comprehensive guide to making the most of your garden this May.

Flowers and Ornamentals

A field of yellow daffodils blooming on a spring day.

Planting and Maintenance

Plant summer bedding: Now's the ideal time to plant out summer bedding plants like petunias, begonias, and geraniums once all danger of frost has passed.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs: Once they've finished blooming, prune shrubs like forsythia, flowering currants, and weigela to maintain their shape and encourage next year's flowers.
Support perennials: Install stakes or plant supports for tall perennials like delphiniums and peonies before they get too big.
Continue deadheading: Remove spent blooms from spring bulbs, but allow the foliage to die back naturally to feed the bulbs for next year.
Plant summer-flowering bulbs: It's your last chance to plant dahlias, gladioli, and lilies for summer colour.

Watch for Pests

Encouraging natural predators like birds, hedgehogs, frogs, and ladybirds can help keep common garden pests under control, reducing the need for chemical treatments. Birds will happily snack on aphids and caterpillars, while hedgehogs and frogs tackle slugs and snails.

By creating a welcoming habitat with log piles, bird feeders, water sources, and pollinator-friendly plants, you’ll encourage a healthy balance in your garden’s ecosystem. Less damage to your plants, more biodiversity, and a greener, more vibrant space.

Keep a vigilant eye out for lily beetles, aphids, and slugs, which become more active as temperatures rise.
Apply nematodes or set up beer traps for slug control using environmentally friendly methods.

Vegetable Garden

A thriving DIY home garden featuring rows of crisp green lettuce and a variety of other vegetables growing in raised beds and containers.

Planting Outdoors

Plant tender vegetables: Now that soil temperatures are warming up, plant out tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and aubergines that you've been hardening off.
Direct sow warm-season crops: Sow beans, sweetcorn, squash, and pumpkins directly into well-prepared soil.
Continue successional sowing: Plant salad crops, radishes, and carrots every two weeks for continuous harvests.
Plant herbs: May is perfect for establishing herb gardens with basil, parsley, coriander, and dill.

Harvest and Maintenance

Harvest early crops: Enjoy spring produce like asparagus, early potatoes, and the first strawberries.
Earth up potatoes: As potato plants grow, draw soil up around the stems to prevent the tubers from turning green.
Thin out seedlings: Give developing vegetables like carrots and beetroot enough space by thinning the rows.
Control weeds: Keep on top of weeding as warm weather accelerates weed growth.

Lawn Care

Regular mowing: Establish a regular mowing schedule now that grass is growing vigorously.
Feed the lawn: Apply a nitrogen-rich fertiliser to encourage healthy green growth.
Repair bare patches: Overseed any bare or thin areas of lawn.
Edge your lawn: Create clean edges between lawn and borders for a neat appearance.
Control weeds: Tackle lawn weeds either by hand or with a selective weed killer if necessary.

General Garden Maintenance

Water wisely: As temperatures rise, establish a consistent watering routine, focusing on newly planted specimens and container plants.
Install water butts: Capture rainfall for sustainable garden watering during drier summer months.
Apply mulch: Mulch beds and borders with compost or bark to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
Check for pests and diseases: Regularly inspect plants for signs of problems and act quickly if spotted.
Maintain garden structures: Clean and treat fences, garden furniture, and trellises while the weather is dry.

A DIY bug hotel filled with leaves, rocks, sticks, and bark provides shelter for insects and supports garden biodiversity.

Wildlife Gardening

Create habitats: Install insect hotels, bird boxes, and log piles to encourage beneficial wildlife.
Provide water: Keep bird baths topped up and consider adding a small pond or water feature.
Grow pollinator-friendly plants: Add nectar-rich flowers like salvias, lavender, and foxgloves to attract bees and butterflies.
Reduce pesticide use: Opt for organic and natural pest control methods to protect beneficial insects.

A gloved hand holds a small seedling with fresh green sprouts emerging from the seed.

Greenhouse and Indoor Gardening

Ventilate the greenhouse: Open doors and vents during the day to prevent overheating.
Shade greenhouse glass: Apply shade paint or blinds to prevent scorching on hot days.
Continue sowing: Start seeds of biennial flowers and winter vegetables.
Potting seedlings: Move seedlings to larger pots once they've outgrown their current ones.
Check houseplants: As growth accelerates, check if houseplants need repotting or feeding.

Planning Ahead

Order autumn bulbs: Start browsing catalogues for spring-flowering bulbs to plant in autumn.
Make notes: Keep a garden journal to track successful plantings and combinations for future reference.
Plan for succession: Consider what will replace spring flowers as they fade to ensure continuous colour and interest.

Conclusion

May is arguably one of the most rewarding months in the garden, with plenty of planting, maintenance, and even harvesting to enjoy. The work you put in now will set the stage for a successful summer garden. Balance your time between essential tasks and simply enjoying the beauty and bounty of your garden as it comes into its prime.

Remember that gardening should be a pleasure, not a chore. If you can't manage everything on this list, prioritise the tasks that will bring you the most joy and make the biggest difference to your garden's health and appearance. Happy gardening!

May Garden Guide