Garden Musts for May
Mid-Atlantic Gardening Guide: Plant summer bulbs, pick off those stinkbugs and enjoy the flowering trees, wildflowers and more
The trees are leafing out, the flowers are blooming, the rains are finishing up and the mercury is rising. May is a glorious, busy month in the garden. Break out your clippers and snip arrangements to brighten your interiors, and keep an eye out for pests and diseases that can be nipped in the bud early.
While you are in the garden, pluck weeds early, plant your summer bulbs and transplant fall-blooming perennials. Above all, whether you are working in the garden or just strolling through, don't forget to smell those roses.
While you are in the garden, pluck weeds early, plant your summer bulbs and transplant fall-blooming perennials. Above all, whether you are working in the garden or just strolling through, don't forget to smell those roses.
Herbaceous peonies may not be in bloom yet, but their cousins, the tree peonies, are showing off already. Tree peonies boast even larger blooms than the perennial garden favorite and can be propagated by layering. Bring them indoors to create minibouquets in just a few minutes.
Even weeds are beautiful this time of year. Grab a few handfuls of flowering wildflowers to create easy, free arrangements. Make sure you strip the bottom leaves off the plant before placing it in the vase. Leaves in the water will rot and cause all of your flowers to go downhill fast.
Emerging This Month
It seems like everything is emerging in May. You can start walking in your flower beds now because the hostas and other late-emerging plants have shown up and leafed out.
It seems like everything is emerging in May. You can start walking in your flower beds now because the hostas and other late-emerging plants have shown up and leafed out.
Tiny little seedlings are still sprouting with rains this month, so watch out for little bits of green. Don't crush them!
Sedums and other fall bloomers start to develop their flower buds in May. To make the plant bushier, pinch off those stems. The plant will develop more foliage for a stronger, shorter plant.
If you want more plants, May is a great time to plant those cuttings. Sedum simply needs soft soil. Press the stem into the ground and it will grow leaves by fall.
The potatoes and onions you planted last month are showing the first signs of foliage, and the cold-weather veggies like spinach and radishes are ready to eat.
Keep Pests Out
I wouldn't really consider my chickens pests, but at this time of year, they make a good case for the moniker. Typically chickens are beneficial to the garden, eating bugs, weeding with their claws and fertilizing the soil. This time of year, though, all of those emerging plants and seedlings are fragile, and the chickens can take out all of them in 30 minutes. Keep chickens cooped up while seedlings develop solid roots or fence them out of your most fragile beds.
I wouldn't really consider my chickens pests, but at this time of year, they make a good case for the moniker. Typically chickens are beneficial to the garden, eating bugs, weeding with their claws and fertilizing the soil. This time of year, though, all of those emerging plants and seedlings are fragile, and the chickens can take out all of them in 30 minutes. Keep chickens cooped up while seedlings develop solid roots or fence them out of your most fragile beds.
Keep an eye out for skunks, groundhogs and bunnies. They are having their babies, which means they are looking for food. Leave the garden unguarded and your veggies won't stand a chance.
Stinkbugs are back — these little devils are taking over. They are crawling out of winter hiding now, so toss those critters into the toilet as soon as you see them. You'll thank yourself in fall when your house isn't crawling in stinkbugs. No mercy!
Plant Summer Bulbs
Remember the bulbs you were checking on in the basement in February? Break them out. It is time to get them growing.
Remember the bulbs you were checking on in the basement in February? Break them out. It is time to get them growing.
Summer bulbs include gladiolus, cannas and dahlias, and many more plants bloom in July or August from a bulb, tuber or corm. Plant them too early in spring and at best they will just sit until the weather warms up. At worst, they will rot in the wet soil.
So whether you are bringing blooms in or keeping pests out, May is a month of change in the garden. Pay attention this month to weeds, pests and plants and your garden will fare better in the hot months of summer that are quickly approaching.
Whatever you do, don't let the month go by without savoring the blooms of the season. They are fleeting, so take advantage while you can.
Whatever you do, don't let the month go by without savoring the blooms of the season. They are fleeting, so take advantage while you can.
Flowering trees are one of the best investments a gardener can make. They require very little care, provide a flush of blooms each spring and are perfect for easy arrangements. Simply cut an armful of medium-size branches and place them in a vase with a little warm water, and your office desk or living room will get an instaboost of color and scent.
The pictured sandcherry blooms early in May, then puts out purple foliage that draws attention all year. Place this tree near your front door and you'll be greeted by the best smell of your life every evening for a month.