| |
 Gardening
guides and hardiness zones are based on past years averages, and can't
predict a freak frost or snowstorm, or a prolonged spring drought. If
frost or cold weather is in the forecast, protect your tender plants
with mulch, newspapers, light cloth or some type of overnight protection
or a frost cap made with clear poly film tented over the plants. (Be
sure to remove the plastic tent as soon as the danger is over or your
plants will bake in the sun).
On the other extreme, if the weather is sunny and dry, don't neglect
your watering. Most flowers and shrubs need about an inch of water each
week to perform well, and newly planted seedlings will perish if their
roots are allowed to dry out.
SHRUBS and TREES
- It's still not too late to fertilize your trees and shrubs. Use
a 'Rhododendron' or an 'Evergreen' type of plant food to feed evergreens
and acid loving plants like Rhododendrons, Camellias, Azaleas, and
Junipers, etc. Use an all-purpose garden fertilizer (10-10-10) to
feed roses, deciduous shrubs and trees. Be sure to water the fertilizer
in thoroughly after it is applied.
- Early flowering deciduous shrubs such as Forsythias, Weigela, and
Spiraea should be pruned back when they have finished blooming. Cut
back a third of the oldest canes to ground level, then cut back one
third of the remaining branches by one third of their height.
- Remove the wilting seed heads from Rhododendrons and Azaleas, so
that the plants energy can go to foliage growth and next year’s
flowers, rather than seeds.
- Work lime in the soil around your Hydrangeas to produce pink flowers
or Aluminum Sulphate for blue.
- Remove any sucker growths from fruit trees as soon as they appear.
- Keep a vigilante eye on the roses. Keep them sprayed for aphids
and other pests and diseases such as black spot.
- Pines and other conifers can be kept to a compact size by pinching
off the new growth 'candles'.
- Lilacs should be pruned lightly after they finish blooming, removing
sucker growths and dead blooms. Feed lilacs in May with a good all
purpose 10-10-10 fertilizers after they have finished blooming. If
your soil has an acidic pH, work a little lime into the soil as well.
PERENNIALS, ANNUALS and BULBS
- Dahlias, Gladiolas, tuberous Begonias, Lilies and Cannas and other
summer flowering bulbs can be planted this month. Gladiolas bulbs
may be planted at 2-week increments until the first of July to provide
you with cut flowers until the first frost.
- Delphiniums, Phlox, Daylilies, Carnations, Aubrietia, Candytuft,
Basket of Gold, Primroses, Coral Bells and Saxifraga and other summer
flowering perennials may all be set into the garden any time in May.
- Break off wilting Tulip or Daffodil heads but continue to feed and
care for the plants until the foliage has died back naturally. Old
plantings of Daffodils may be divided and moved when they have finished
blooming, but treat them as growing plants and use care to protect
the foliage and roots. Water them thoroughly after transplanting.
It is best not to dig or move other spring flowering bulbs until their
foliage has ripened and died back.
- Pansies, Snapdragons, Dianthus, Petunias, Geraniums, Fuchsias and
Impatiens should be ready to plant by mid month. Toward the end of
the month, it should be warm enough to plant out the more tender annuals
like Salvia, Zinnias, Marigolds, Lobelia.
- Lightly side dress perennials with an all-purpose 5-10-10 or 10-10-10
fertilizer. Avoid spilling the fertilizer on the plant, and use care
not to damage the shallow roots when you cultivate it into the soil.
- Setting the stakes next to your taller flowers early in the season,
will help to support the plant against winds as well as making it
easier to 'train'.
- Promptly remove spent flowers from any plant unless your intent
is to harvest the seeds. It consumes the plants energy to produce
the seeds, and in many species of plants (especially annuals), removing
the dead flowers will promote further blooms.
FRUITS and VEGGIES
- Carrots, lettuce, potatoes, corn, beans, peas and most popular vegetables
(with the exception of the warmer weather crops) can be seeded or
planted into the vegetable garden at any time now.
- Wait until mid to late May before planting the warmer weather crops
like tomatoes, squash, cucumber, pumpkins and peppers.
- With a little luck, you may begin to see the first fruit on your
strawberries by late this month. The birds will enjoy them very much
if you don't provide some protective netting over them. Newly planted
strawberries should have the blossoms picked off until they become
well established.
- Gourds may be planted late in the month, if your growing season
is long enough. .
THE LAWN
- May is a good month to repair your lawn. Fill in the bare spots
by slightly loosening surface of the soil and sow a good quality lawn
seed over the area evenly. Tamp the seed in gently and water. Keep
the patch moist by covering with light mulch of lawn clippings.
- This is the time to eliminate lawn weeds by hand pulling, or the
application of a 'weed and feed' fertilizer.... before they go to
seed!.
- Setting your mower for a higher cut during the spring months will
help the grass to grow in fuller and help choke out the weeds.
HOUSEPLANTS
- Check to see if your houseplants are root bound. Water them thoroughly
and carefully remove them from their pots. If the roots have compacted
around the outside of the root ball, it is time to repot.
- Carefully examine your houseplants for pests and problems. It is
much easier to fight an insect infestation or disease in its early
stages than to wait.
- As the growth rate of your houseplants increases with the seasons,
adjust your feeding schedule to provide additional food. Feed your
plants a good all purpose house plant food at half of the manufacturers
recommended rates, increasing the proportion slightly to accommodate
growth spurts. Overuse of fertilizers can cause root and foliage burn,
as well as the death of the plant.
- Mist your plants regularly. This adds to the humidity, keeps the
leaves cleaner and healthier, and helps to prevent spider mites.
ODDS and ENDS
- Slugs and snails are out in full force right now. Be sure to take
steps to control them now, before they have a chance to reproduce
and devastate your garden.
- The first flowers you'll see will be your weeds. Work to eliminate
the weeds (roots and all), before they have a chance to go to seed.
- If the weather refuses to cooperate with your gardening plans, and
your seeds have refused to germinate due to cold and wet conditions,
you may want to consider replanting a reserve crop.
- Utilize your compost now in amending your soil. Constantly add fresh
garden refuse to it. The compost pile should be kept damp. Frequent
turning will turn your garden waste into flower food much faster.
Recycle Reuse!
|
|
|
