What's New

Removing large branches.

Storing pelargoniums, dahlias and chrysanthemums for the winter.

Our plant photograph database is starting to take shape.

• Remove spring bedding plants and lift and store spring flowering bulbs (with the exception of snowdrops).
• Prune helichrysum and artemisias shrubs to encourage bushy plants.
• May is an ideal time to create ponds / pools. Click here to see the pond project page.
• Support herbaceous border plants with canes, where they will be needed in late summer. It's easier to do this now while the plants are still small, this also reduces the risk of damaging the roots later in the season.
• Prune plum trees, paint fresh cuts with Arborex to prevent infection.
• Spray roses with ‘Rose Clear’ to kill aphids and protect from blackspot.
• Trim hedges to encourage the branches to ‘thicken up’ and to keep them neat and tidy.
• Take soft wood cuttings from thyme. Thyme cuttings take easily, so they can be stuck in the soil or in pots. Remember that thyme likes full sun and hates to be grown in the shade.
• Fuchias flower from the ends of their branches, nipping out the growing tip will encourage more shoots, creating a bushier plant with more flowers.
• Plant out greenhouse grown runner beans or sow them at the base of wigwams 5cm (2in) deep. Keep well watered.
• If becoming boisterous, prune spring flowering clematis including alpina and macropetala after flowering. Use cuttings to propagate new plants.
• The adult vine weevil, the number one garden pest, will be emerging from the soil as the temperatures rise.
• Control weeds in lawns with a selective weedkiller. Don't cut the grass for at least a week after applying. Don't put these grass cuttings on the compost heap.
• Thin out seedlings, leaving the strongest growing plants. Water the soil gently beforehand to reduce soil disturbance.
• Regularly water trees and shrubs that were planted last autumn and winter. Their roots won’t have had a chance to fully develop yet.
• Protect plants from slugs and snails with slug pellets, course grit or traps. Alternatively try to encourage birds, hedgehogs and frogs to your garden - all prey on slugs and snails.
• Cut grass weekly, long grass takes more nutrients out of the soil. It is also harder to cut and may leave yellow patches in the lawn.
• Remove cloches in late spring. Open cloches ends to allow pollinating insects access to flowering plants.
• Apply a weed and feed to established lawns. Water in with a hose after a few days if it hasn't rained.
• As daffodils fade, remove the flower heads. Don't cut back the leaves - leave them to die back naturally. However if you want to tidy them up, wait until the leaves have yellowed before removing.
• Remove the dead heads of spring flowering bulbs. This will encourage the plant to store energy in the bulb rather than wasting it on seed production.
• Lift, divide and replant chives.
• Begin regular cutting of your lawn. If the grass is long increase the height adjustment of the mower to the highest setting once this first cut has been done, go back over the lawn and cut it again on a lower setting.
• Don't be tempted to buy your summer bedding yet, unless you have a greenhouse, conservatory or cold frame that you can store them in. A late April / early May frost is not uncommon in the UK.
• Your pond may have started to turn green and cloudy. This is due to a rapid increase in algae, which flourish in the warmer spring temperatures. Once the pond plants start to grow again, especially the oxygenating plants, these will use up the nutrients and create shade, reducing the amount of algae. To speed up the clearing of the water, drop a string bag of barley straw into the pond. As it begins to breakdown, it will use up the excess nutrients, reducing the amount of algae and also blanket weed. If you have a fountain or waterfall, try to position the barley underneath this, in still ponds weigh it down so it floats just below the surface of the water. Remove the barley after about six months, before it completely rots down, polluting the water.
• Remove algae and moss from patios and paths with a proprietary patio and path cleaner or tar-oil winter wash.
• Take blackcurrant cuttings. Cutting should be 10' long - the size of a pencil. Plant upright in a 'V' shaped trench with sharp sand in the bottom, then back fill with soil.