Garden tips for May
As the days lengthen and temperatures continue to rise, now is the time to get out into your garden and start preparing for summer. Now is the time to take care of your lawn by cutting it once a week and treating dead or bare patches with a sprinkling of grass seed. Keep the areas watered if the weather turns dry. Use a scarifier to remove moss, thatch and debris that have built up over the winter months. Aerating allows water, air and nutrients to reach the roots. After this apply a nitrogen-rich fertiliser to feed and stimulate growth. Make the job complete by edging the lawn with a half moon, then trim with edging shears to present neat lines. Keep on top of the weeds in your borders and vegetable patch. If you tackle them when plants are small and the roots are shallow the job will be quick and easy, but don’t forget to keep on top of them by regular hoeing or apply a good layer of bark mulch. This will help suppress weeds, feed the plants gradually and retain moisture. Start thinking about your summer bedding displays, pots and hanging baskets but don’t buy plants until the threat of frosts has passed unless you have a greenhouse or cold frame to put them in. Plan your summer colour schemes and calculate how many plants you will need. Surplus plants can be used to fill gaps in your borders. Pay attention to plants in your garden. Tie in the new growth on climbers so they give an even coverage of flowers. Deadhead rhododendrons and feed late flowering shrubs. Stake herbaceous plants to give them extra support. Perennials that flower more than once during the season will benefit from a good cutting back. This is the perfect time to sow quick-growing annuals such as ‘night scented stock’, Godetia and Calendula. Use them to fill gaps in the border or in pots for a splash of colour. Sow vegetable seeds outdoors, preferably in an area which has been enriched with organic matter the previous autumn. Make a small trench and sow the seeds among some peat free compost in the trench. This has the benefit of being sterile and allowing the seeds to develop without direct competition from weeds. Get your tomato plants in the greenhouse. They can be planted in peat free planting medium or grow bags. These plants can be rewarding for little investment and maintenance. Just keep them fed and watered and you will be rewarded with juicy tomatoes throughout the summer. Don’t forget to look after the wild birds in your garden. Keep the bird feeders well stocked and keep the bird bath topped up with fresh water. Also, think about installing a rainwater butt which can be fed from a drainpipe from the house or shed. It will provide lots of easy-to-access water for pots and containers and will help preserve our natural resources.
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, EDINBURGH ARBORETUM PLACE, EDINBURGH TEL: 0131 248 2909 WWW.RBGE.ORG.UK