Paul Gargan
A wet and windy May fills the barns with corn and hay. Now that May has almost arrived, let’s hope we have seen the last of the night frosts. The possibility of late frosts occurring, however, must always be expected and planned for. No matter how warm the weather is in early May, don’t be tempted to plant out tender plants such as summer bedding.
Temperatures of 3⁰C or lower will kill summer bedding. Wait until the start of June, just to be sure. There are exceptions of course; these include penstemons, violas, pansies, antirrhinums, stocks and asters.
Dead head daffodils as they finish flowering. Most modern daffodils have lost the ability to produce viable seed due to cross breeding. Allowing them to set seed is just a waste of the bulbs energy. Do not cut the foliage of daffodils for six weeks after flowering or do not tie them up in bunches. Spring bulbs need time to recharge their reserves. The leaves take in sunlight and turn it into starch. This is stored in the bulb and is used to produce next year’s flowers. Cut them early or tie them up and the bulb will not get enough sunlight to store energy for next year. They won’t flower and all you will have is leaves. If left in the ground, tulip bulbs tend to leach out nutrients over the coming months.
Flowering
Prune forsythia and ribes when they have finished flowering. Start with a shoot with dead or dying flowers at the tip, follow it back until you find a side shoot that hasn’t flowered and cut the main stem off just above it. Keep going until you have done the whole shrub.
Check climbers on walls and trellising. They will be putting out a lot of new growth. Tie this in to extend the framework of the plant. Cut out any that are growing away from the wall.
Perennials
As the weather and the soil warm up, summer perennials start to grow with vigour. Any tall and floppy kinds will need supporting. The aim is to support the plant without the support showing. To do this, put the supports in before they are needed, so they are hidden by the growth of the plant very quickly. Choose supports that are one third the height of the fully grown plant.
Keep on top of weeding beds. You will save a lot of work later in the year by preventing them from setting seed. Go out on damp, warm evenings and gather up slugs and snails. They will be out munching on the young shoots of your plants, which they find irresistible. A generous sprinkling of salt will solve the problem for you.