Basic Flower Garden - Twelve Months of Flowers: MAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) May 2, 2011 -- MAY: Due to the unusual sunny dry days we experienced in April, gardens make up for the earlier cold spells. The month of May in many areas in the British Isles is often dry, some watering is usually necessary and the danger of night frost diminishes.

Alpines: Late spring is the best season for alpine plants. Divide oversize plants once they have finish flowering. Check cuttings taken in early spring and plant out once they are rooted. Alpines require moist but well drained soil and plenty of sun for flowering. Remove weeds as soon as they appear.

Bulbs: Remove dead blooms from daffodils, hyacinths and tulips. Heel in bulbs to die gradually. It maybe necessary to lift them from beds to make way for summer bedding. If the bulbs have just flowered or the leaves are starting to discolour, lift them with as much soil on the roots and replant in a vacant area to finish ripening, liquid feed and allow the foliage to die down naturally. However, if the leaves are already yellow, lift and clean off most of the soil. Store in a single layer to dry under cover either in a greenhouse or shed.

Lilies: Plant out temporarily planted lily bulbs (see March). Check for signs of basal rot or fusarium disease, which effects the flat tissue between the scales (basal plate) and the roots. The lily maybe saved by cutting out the affected tissue, dust with a fungicide. Replant the bulb in a pot. Lift bulbs from affected beds and replant elsewhere. Use a systemic insecticide to control aphids. Lilies grown in pots can remain in the containers for two to three years. After foliage dies away, remove the soil to expose the tips of the bulbs and replace with fresh soil. Garden forced lilies should be planted in after finished flowering.
Gladioli: Continue hoeing to check weed growth and conserve soil moisture taking care not to damage the stems. Water thoroughly in dry weather.

Carnations & Pinks: Plant out annual carnations as bedding plants. Stake border carnations with bamboo canes. Watch for pests and diseases. Take action if necessary (see March).

Chrysanthemums: Rake beds prepared in the past couple of months. Plant out garden flowering variety this month, weather permitting. Plant in the ground at exactly the same depth as they were in the pots. Firm the plants to keep upright but not so hard as to damage the tender roots. Stake plants and tie plants loosely to them, leave plenty of material (twine or soft raffia) so that it can be loosened as the plant grows more bushy. Water each plant thoroughly, do not water further for several days but spray lightly to counteract the effects of the sun or drying wind. Where stools have remained in the open all winter, discard any that are seriously damaged by weather or pest. Lightly fork ground round each plant, water in a good fertiliser. If there are many new ground shoots on the stools. retain the best six (6) shoots and cut out the remainder off at ground level. Stake as mentioned above.

Flowers from Seeds: There is still time to sow hardy and half hardy annuals outdoors. Half hardy annuals can be planted as soon as the risk of frost has passed, if unsure wait until the beginning of June.

Seed boxes: Remove plants from seed boxes and other containers with as much roots as possible, lay plants in their positions on the soil. Make holes of appropriate depth and stand the plants in them, water the sides thoroughly to ensure the roots get plenty of moisture and the soil is he washed among them, using a trowel fill in the holes. Spring annuals sown in the autumn will be in bloom soon. Spring biennials sown this month will flower next year spring and summer.

Hardy Herbaceous plants: Continue hoeing between plants to kill weeds, stake and support tall plants example delpheniums which are liable to suffer damage by wind and rain when near flowering. Do not stake dwarf plants or plants that are naturally floppy.

Dahlias: Plant out young dahlias, rooted cuttings or bought plants when the danger of frost is past. Plant 2.5-3ft. apart with the same distance between rows. Holes need to be deep enough to recieve the ball of soil around the roots of the plant. Stake all dahlias, their 3 feet stems are too weak to support the heavy flower heads, attach visible labels.
Protect from night frost with news paper, removing them in the morning.

Heathers: Complete any remaining planting early in the month as possible. Apply peat as mulch to any bare ground.

Hedges: Clip monthly from now until the end of September to keep them neatly shaped and will also prevent them breaking open as they grow. Hedges of forsythia and flowering currants, clip after the flowers have died. Do not clip again until the following year in order to maintain the flower buds for next spring's display. It is important to decide the shape of each hedge before clipping. Careful shaping of new hedges from the beginning is required. Continue to hoe or weed hedge bottoms (see March).

Irises: Many bulbous irises flower in mid-winter needs minimum attention. The bulbous group includes the spring and summer flowering Dutch, Spanish and English irises which blooms in shades of blue, white and yellow, they flower between May and July, the Dutch first and English last. Dwarf bearded iris flower early in spring, followed by the intermediate bearded irises which have more flowers on each stem. Remove dead flowers, in dry weather give an occasional watering to keep plants growing well. Continue to inspect leaves (see April).

Rhododendrons & Azaleas: Many are in flower and are usually at their best the first half of June.
Dead heading Rhododendrons - To avoid injury to young growth, remove dead flowers with your finger and thumb, secateurs are liable to damage the shoots. The removal of dead flowers will allow new growth to develop and form next year's flower buds. Water newly planted bushes in dry weather, while the soil is damp mulch bushes with peat.

Roses: Plants are now sprouting new shoots and fresh foliage. The earliest blooming roses could be fully open by the end of May. Spray regularly to combat rose pests. Spray both sides of the leaves and stems using a sprayer that delivers a fine mist-like spray.
Greenflies: Use a systemic rose insecticide. This is then absorbed through the leaves and stems into the sap stream of the rose killing any greenflies that suck the sap during the next three to four weeks.
Pick off leaves that become rolled up and burn. These leaves contain either a small green caterpillar of tortrix moth or the grub of the sawfly. Spray against black spot and rust.

Shrubs & Trees: Hardy shrubs in cool climates usually flower at this time. Their beauty and fragance especially viburnums and daphnes completely transform gardens after a long hard winter.
Many spring trees have beautiful foliage and flowers for example ornamental cherries, magnolias, crab apples and hornthorns all are suitable for a small garden. Prune others that have finished flowering to restore their shape. Plant out shrubs that are in the young stage, such as clematis armandii, fuchsia, hydrangea and Cytisus scoparius (yellow broom). Keep watered until established. These are not recommended for northern gardens.

Complete the planting of evergreens. Pot grown plants maybe planted at almost anytime. Keep newly planted plants moist at the roots and spray foliage with water during dry and windy weather.

Lawns: Watering is important in dry weather. Continue regular mowing of established lawns. Trim lawn edges after mowing using either a long handled shears or a mechanical edging tool.

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