Here, there and everywhere
(On the ground, under the bonnets, up Jacob’s Ladder and elsewhere)
Heady scents also dominate the month as Lilacs perfume the air with their frothy blooms, adding romance to a misty and mild evening. As ground cover, sweet woodruff is also simply heavenly.
Erysimums are almost matching their popular wallflower cousins and are available in many varieties nowadays, ready to kickstart the summer borders, though they will also flower right up until Christmas.
In the hedgerows, Hawthorns boast masses of sweetly scented white flowers.
Underneath, Bluebells, Cowslips and Cow Parsley may be present and throwing up some real treats.
Syringias for Spring
SYRINGIAS, commonly known as Lilacs, produce masses of scented florets this month, usually around the third week of May.
Their perfume is unforgettable and unarguably better than the showy blooms themselves. This shrub takes a while to establish, but it is well worth the wait and is perfectly at home in any setting – be it a woodland border, cottage garden, mixed border or simply on its own as a specimen for instance in the middle of a lawn.
Apart from the standard varieties, there are dwarf forms available for smaller or cottage-style borders.
THIS is the month to start your tender vegetables that can only be grown outdoors after all risk of frost has passed, usually in late May or early June.
These include runner beans, French beans, peppers, chillies, courgettes, aubergines and pumpkins. All of these can be sown two seeds per pot in peat-free compost in three or four inch pots indoors, on a warm windowsill. Keep them just moist and germination should occur quickly, often within just a few days. Grow them on in the same way and then stand them outdoors for a week at the end of the month to harden them. They can all be grown in growbags or any large patio container.
Out in the main vegetable garden, you will need to keep earthing up the soil around the shoots of potatoes to protect them from any night frosts.
Other crops, such as carrots and onions, grown in rows will need thinning out to prevent over-crowding and will also need to be kept weed-free. If there are lots of weed seedlings, then you can either weed by hand or use a hand-trowel as a miniature hoe to get between the rows. Do take care close to the crops themselves though – as come harvest time, you might get less than you expected.
The future’s bright...and blossoming
CHOISYA Ternata, otherwise known as Mexican Orange Blossom, is a very attractive evergreen garden shrub. Its glossy green leaves are attractive all year round and sweetly scented when rubbed.
In May and early June, the entire bush is a mass of sweetly scented small white flowers, which resemble those of citrus blossom and are similarly fragrant.
These shrubs will grow in sun or semi-shade, in any reasonable garden soil, which is preferably slightly acidic but that really doesn’t matter too much.
They can be sheared over after flowering and the consequential new growth during summer is a pleasant light green which deepens in colour later in the year.
The relatively new variety ‘Sundance’ has a dwarfer habit, golden leaves and has become very popular in recent years as it is winter colour is outstanding.
Are you singin’ the blues?
AQUILEGIAS are perceived in many different ways as there are named varieties which are best grown in quarantine. This will keep them away from the equally beautiful, but very prolific, wild types, which, if allowed to self-seed, would quickly drive you out of house and garden.
They are all very easy to grow in sun or shade, providing the soil is reasonably moist during the summer months.
Get the whole root and nothing but the root
GET on top of weeds before they get on top of you.
Despite a whole host of jobs to be done this month, weeding out the undesirables is particularly important as they grow at an astonishing rate at this time of year.
Perennial weeds can be sprayed with the systemic weed-killer ‘Round-up’ which will only kill the weeds and roots you spray and won’t affect other plants if you’re careful. A cardboard collar (bending it around clumps of plants to protect them) can be used.
Trying to extract a whole perennial weed, such as a dandelion, in the growing season is not only impracticable, but often disturbs cultivated plants.
Annual weeds can be hoed in dry, warm weather. But doing this in the wet will merely transplant them and help them along. The best option in this case is to pull them out by hand - they should come out easily as the ground will be softer.
Tuber smarties
INCARVILLEAS are known as garden Gloxinias as their flowers resemble the Gloxinias which are grown as houseplants.
They are only distantly related however and are pretty hardy but do require a very well-drained soil in a sunny position.
The tubers can be planted as late as the end of April or early May, just below the soil surface and will grow rapidly to flower by the end of May.
Their exotic pink trumpets look well at home in a cottage garden alongside bearded Iris and Peonies.
After flowering, they produce large seed pods and it may well be worth saving and sowing the seeds as an experiment.
Guaranteed Seal of approval
SOLOMAN’S Seal, known as Polyganatum, is a gorgeous herbaceous woodland plant which quickly grows in spring to around 60cm (2ft).
In May, the pendant delicate white flowers open all up and down the arching stalks and complement bluebells, aquilegias and wild garlic really well.
These can be bought as pot-grown plants in flower and should be planted in a nice leafy humous-rich soil in dappled shade.
It May be warm or May be even thundery
MAY starts very unsettled but should soon turn drier and rather chilly at times. Towards mid-month we can expect things to warm up again but with more thundery potential and a couple of very wet days. Later in the month, a good heatwave is possible.
A flaming June border
June brings out the best in herbaceous borders, as Lupins send up their spires and Oriental poppies open their huge blooms. Daylilies also begin their long display, as do the gorgeous hardy Geraniums. Look out for our tips on sowing biennials, for a border awash with bloom next spring...
See you next month!
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