May is a magical time in the garden. Spring is in full bloom, the days are longer and the soil is warming up, offering an abundance of gardening opportunities. Whether you’re tending to ornamental borders, managing an allotment, encouraging wildlife or maintaining a garden pond, there’s plenty to do, and enjoy. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get the most out of your garden this month..
May is a prime month for planting a wide variety of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Here’s what to focus on:
Hardy Annuals (Direct Sow)
– Cornflowers, poppies, nigella, and calendula can be sown straight into well-prepared beds
– Rake the soil to a fine grain size, sow seeds thinly and cover lightly with soil.
– Water gently (use a fine spray watering can rose) and keep moist until germination.
Tender Bedding Plants
– Petunias, geraniums, marigolds and begonias can be planted out (though keep an eye out for late frosts). Plant in a multi-purpose compost. Water in well and mulch to retain moisture. Dead head (remove flowers that have gone over) regularly to encourage new ones to form.
Vegetables to Sow or Plant Out
– Sow directly to your vegetable beds: carrots, beetroot, lettuce, spring onions and radish seeds
- Plant out hardened-off courgettes, runner beans, and sweetcorn that you may have started indoors on in a greenhouse.
– Support climbing plants with bamboo canes or netting.
Herbs
Sow basil, dill, coriander and parsley directly into sunny spots or containers. Keep soil consistently moist but never wet.
Garden Maintenance Tips
– Deadhead spring bulbs like daffodils and tulips but leave the foliage to die back naturally.
- Weed regularly—young weeds are easier to pull!
- Mulch borders with a bark to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
Allotments start to burst into productivity this month. Here’s how to keep on top of things:
Plan Succession Sowing
– To avoid gluts and extend harvests, sow a few seeds every 2–3 weeks for your crops like lettuce, carrots, beetroot, spinach.
Protect Young Plants
– Use cloches or horticultural fleece over young plants to shield from late frosts and hungry pigeons.
- Net brassicas to deter cabbage white butterflies. We sell anti butterfly netting by the metre – just ask at the tills.
Feed and Water
– Start feeding tomatoes, strawberries, and container-grown crops. Use liquid seaweed or a general-purpose organic fertiliser.
- Water early in the morning or late evening to reduce loss of moisture by evaporation.
Make Use of Vertical Space
– Train beans, cucumbers, and squash up trellises or frames. This saves space and improves airflow; reducing disease.
Place straw around your strawberry plants to keep fruit clean and to avoid rotting. This will also discourage slugs and snails.
A wildlife-friendly garden is not only beautiful but also beneficial for pest control and pollination.
Create a Bug Hotel
Stack pallets, bricks, twigs, hollow stems and bark in a quiet corner.
Leave Some Grass Long
Allow a patch of lawn or a strip around the edge to grow wild. Daisies, clover, and buttercups support bees and butterflies.
Feed the Birds
– Continue feeding your garden birds but shift to protein-rich foods like mealworms and sunflower hearts to support nesting.
– Provide fresh water daily.
Plant Pollinator-Friendly Flowers
Ideal choices include foxgloves, aquilegia, alliums, and wallflowers. Aim for a mix of shapes and bloom times.
Create Shelter for wildlife
– Leave piles of leaves or logs in shady spots for hedgehogs and toads.
– Install bird boxes or bat boxes in sheltered locations.
Garden ponds come alive in May, but they also require attention to keep ecosystems balanced. Here’s step-by-step pond maintenance tips:
Remove Debris
Use a net to gently scoop out fallen leaves, algae, and twigs. Try to avoid disturbing frogspawn or tadpoles.
Top Up Water Levels
Use rainwater if possible. If using tap water, let it stand in a bucket for 24 hours to allow chlorine to dissipate.
Divide and Thin Aquatic Plants
If pond plants like water lilies or irises have outgrown their space, lift and divide them. Replant in aquatic baskets using pond compost (we sell both of these)
Algae Control
Add oxygenating plants to your pond and use barley straw extract or floating barley straw bags to naturally combat algae.
Add a Wildlife Ramp
A sloped stone or log can help amphibians safely enter and exit your pond.
– Regularly Inspect Plants: Look for aphids, mildew, or slug damage and act quickly. Use organic or chemical treatments or hand-pick pests off your plants.
– Hand weed or hoe your ornamental and kitchen gardens regularly to stay on top of weeds and get rid of them before they go to seed.
– Plant up your summer hanging baskets. We have everything you need from empty baskets, compost and basket plants or if you don’t want to make them yourself, we have ready made ones for sale.
– Support Tall Perennials: Use plant supports for delphiniums, peonies and lupins before they flop.
– Refresh Containers: Remove tired spring bedding and replace with summer plants. Use fresh compost and slow-release fertiliser.
– Compost Smartly: If you make compost at home, add a balance of greens (grass clippings) and browns (dry leaves, cardboard) to your compost heap for faster decomposition.
May is a time of promise and productivity in the garden. With the last frosts behind you and the warmth of summer on the horizon, this is your opportunity to set the stage for a fruitful and flourishing season. Whether you’re sowing seeds, nurturing wildlife, or just sitting back to enjoy the buzz of bees and the scent of new blooms, take time to connect with nature, and your garden will reward you in return.
Happy gardening!
Clyst St. Mary
Sidmouth Road, Clyst St. Mary,
Exeter, Devon, EX5 1AE.
Telephone: 01392 876281
Email: gardening@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk
OPENING HOURS
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm*
Sundays 10.00am to 4.00pm* (CLOSED EASTER SUNDAY)
Bank Holidays 9.00am to 5.00pm
*Cafe open until 4.30pm each day and until 3.30pm on Sundays.
