May
1. Plant summer flowering bulbs such as Gladiolus, Cannas and Dahlias.
3. Visit Waterloo Gardens frequently to get an idea of what is available as this is the time of year with the very best selection of many plants.
5. Stake tall growing perennials like peonies and delphiniums to keep them from flopping over as they put on height and the blossoms get heavy.
8. Annuals can be safely planted so go crazy! Plant in mass for the best effect and if we do get a really cold night just use a bed sheet to cover the tender plants.
10. Enclose your vegetable garden with fencing to keep out deer and rabbits.
13. Purchase your hanging baskets or plant up your own. Consider a soil additive to help retain moisture. You know how quickly those baskets can dry out.
15. Apply a weed and feed to your lawn to control broadleaf weeds.
20. Garden mums should be pinched back when they reach 6 to 8 inches. Reduce their height by half and repeat the process again by mid-July.
24. Fertilize your roses. Remember to avoid getting fertilizer on the foliage if you are using a granular food so that you can prevent burn.
Tips for May
- Quit planning and start planting!
- Get outdoors and enjoy the incredible spring weather!
- If you have not finished yet, edge and clean up your landscape beds, apply weed preventer and a cover of new mulch to give beds a fresh look.
- Southern Magnolias should be planted late spring and early summer when they have a chance to develop a good root system before the cold weather returns in the fall.
- Welcome toads to your garden by offering them a source of water and shelter. One toad can eat from ten to twenty thousand insects a year. Make a toad house by partially burying a terra cotta pot on its side.
- Set tomato stakes before putting your plants in the garden.
- Plant tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and summer squash without fear of frost damage. If we do get an unusually cold night, use a bed sheet or cardboard box to protect tender plants.
- Plant trees and shrubs successfully without worry, but always be aware of the need for water and amend your soil with each new planting.
- If space is an issue or you want to start vegetable gardening on a small scale, plant in containers.
- Tree and shrubs in containers need to be repotted or root pruned every three or four years in the spring. Fertilize and top dress with fresh mulch before new growth begins.
- Cut faded blooms from daffodils and tulips to prevent seed formation, but leave the foliage until it browns.
- Remove the flower from newly planted strawberry plants to encourage the development of runners.
- House plants can be moved outdoors when night time temperatures are over 55 degrees, but be careful about too much sun until they have hardened off.
- Prune pussy willow, forsythia, quince and witch hazel.
- Manipulate the color of hydrangeas by adding garden lime for pink hydrangeas and aluminum sulfate for blue.
