IN THE GARDEN Keep calm and watch the weather
Plants are on the move now, making the transition from indoors as seedlings or as plants from garden centres facing the challenges of outdoor life.
If plants were sentient as some believe, we’d surely see looks of apprehension, even panic on their faces. However, any looks of concern are more likely on the faces of the gardener. This is the month when we’re eager to be planting and it’s the period between winter and summer we like to call spring, when we can experience both.
Plants already growing in the garden are fine with sudden weather shifts; it’s those tender annuals that have been reared under the best of conditions that are suddenly exposed to either a leaf-crisping frost or a burning sun.
We may be anxious about the weather, yet May is the most exhilarating, exciting month, when gardeners are giddy with excitement. I’ve seen them, in the garden centres already, eager to get a start on spring. No, I was not a casual observer. I was with them, just as keen as ever, making sure I find my favourites before the racks are stripped clean of plants over the long weekend.
It’s fine to make an early start providing you follow my one rule. Once y watch the weather forecast, all the time, every day. There’s always a chance of frosty nights before the month is out, even in early June. And there can be hot, summerlike days, like this past week. Begin by giving your new plants the best start you can by introducing them slowly to the outside world, especially those tomatoes.
Perennials will be fine with early planting, but annuals can suffer. They’ve had a cosseted life in a greenhouse, lightly shaded from the sun where the temperature rarely falls below 20 C. Some can handle the lower temperatures in
the garden, but others will be set back, and a few will perish. The tougher ones usually recover, but why risk it when the plant arrived home in excellent condition? Knowledgeable staff at stores and garden centres will give the same advice I'm offering.
Moving plants out during the day and back inside at night for a few days is one option, and that soon becomes tiresome.
Alternatively, leave them out and cover them at night, should temperatures drop. Always check the weather forecast.
Sun and heat are as challenging as cold. It does sometimes hit 30C in late May — maybe this weekend — and that’s enough to wilt more than plants. If that happens, store them in a shadier location where they’ll be out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. And don’t forget to water them.
Many of the annuals we grow are perennials in tropical climates and they can be fine with the heat; however any hint of frost will finish them off, or at least seriously delay heir growth. This includes obvious opical ones like mandevilla and hibiscus, most succulents and any with soft stems like pelargoniums and impatiens.
Especially tender are potato vines, commonly used in hanging baskets. If the temperature slips below 5 C they’ll droop and die. The same goes for begonias and dahlias. I prefer to start mine indoors then I wait until June before planting out.
If you like to gamble on the weather this month, just be prepared and have a ready supply of blankets and towels on hand. I’ve gambled too many times, and racing around flipping pots over plants becomes tiresome. We might be eager to plant, but plants aren’t eager to grow, not until the weather suits them. They’ll be watching it as we should. Keep calm and carry plants — home.