It really doesn’t need me to tell you this after the last twelve months, but the weather patterns in May and June will really determine what has to be done in the garden during these months. This year, the ground has been really cold and wet all through the winter and well into spring, so there are many plants that are probably a month behind where they were last year.

Cherry trees that normally flower in early April will still have flowers on into May, and trees and shrubs that normally leaf up in April will still be looking decidedly bare in
May. There is not a lot we can do about this, apart from just try and shift our tasks
forward a bit, my fear (from a gardening perspective at least) is a very warm May after such a cold and wet Spring, it will mean everything happening at once as Mother Nature tries to catch up. This will be a real shame for some of the spring flowering plants as their flowering period may be shortened; they have been sitting in ‘tight bud’ for some weeks now waiting to flower and a burst of sunshine could see them open, flower and be over in a short space of time. So be prepared to make the most of them - a classic example of this has been daffodils, they were really late to flower this year, but sat in bud for ages and then the flowers seemed to be over in a flash.

May is the time to get most of your plants outside after growing them on in the greenhouse, but don’t be too keen. Tomatoes, runner beans, courgettes and summer flowering bedding plants need to be kept frost free, and this area is prone to late spring frosts, especially if you live in a frost pocket or a low lying area. As my Dad always said, don’t plant your bedding plants out until the end of May if you want to be sure of missing the frosts. If you are planting dahlias and canna plants, be especially careful if you have grown them on in a greenhouse before planting out, the soft shoots will be easily scorched by cold nights, but if you are planting the tubers directly intro the ground, early May should be OK as by the time the shoots emerge the threat of frost should have passed.

In the vegetable garden, there will be so much to do this year in a short space of time, so don’t expect too much time in front of the telly! As potato shoots emerge from the ground, earth soil over the new shoots, this will really help to increase the yield, and
will keep the tender shoots away from frost. By doing this you will also create a small ‘trench’ between your rows which will help to keep water around the tubers as they grow. Remember potatoes like lots of water to thrive, and even though we must all treat water wisely I feel fairly confident we will not be on a hosepipe ban this year!

Finally, going back to our spring flowering bulbs, it is really important NOT to chop the foliage off the plants when they have finished flowering, the leaves will photosynthesise and produce food which will be transported and stored in the bulb. It is this food store which enables the plant to hibernate until next spring. Many bulbs can have reduced flowering and growing ability if they become overcrowded, this is due to the bulb naturally reproducing and forming a clump of bulbs. Eventually, this clump becomes so congested that there is not enough space and food to support the plants. If you have weak or non-flowering bulbs, when the foliage has died down, lift them with a fork, separate them and replant them with more space.

BOSWORTH’S Nurseries & Garden Centre
01536 722635
Only minutes from J10 off the A14 and midway between Kettering and Wellingborough

OPEN: Mon-Sat: 9am - 6pm
Sun: 10am - 5pm • Disabled Access

All Credit Cards Accepted

NOT JUST A GARDEN CENTRE

May & June Garden

May & June Garden 

Bosworths Garden Centre