Here are some top tips for May and June from Claire Jones of Claire Jones Gardens
- Summer bedding can be planted out now the weather has warmed up but keep an eye on the forecast to avoid being caught out by a late frost.
- Look after your spring bulbs for next year. Once they have gone over resist the temptation to cut back foliage. Instead let it die and break down on its own and add a liquid fertiliser around the clumps. This will give you a more impressive display next spring. Congested clumps can be lifted and divided now.
- Feed and water container plants. Optimise your watering routine, water early or late in the day to get the most out of your water.
- Top dress permanent pot plants to refresh the compost.
- Prune Penstemons – cut all the old shoots back to the base providing there is new growth at the bottom of the plant. If there are no new shoots at the base cut back to the lowest pair of leaves. This will keep the plants much neater and prevent them from becoming floppy.
- Prune spring flowering shrubs, once the flowers have faded. Aim to remove approximately a third of the old wood from the base along with any crossing or diseased stems as opposed to tip pruning. This will help to re-generate the shrub over a number of years and prevent the bun cut effect.
- If you haven’t fed your roses do it now, they are hungry plants and will perform better if fed.
- Continue to weed beds and borders to prevent competition for water and nutrients.
- Mow your lawn regularly and feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser to encourage healthy green growth.
- As the season progresses dead head roses, perennials and annuals to promote more flowers.
- May is a good month for cutting evergreen hedges such as Lonicera and Yew, but make sure you check for nesting birds first.
Plants of the Season
I love this time of year, in my garden everything is so fresh and lush.
Pictured is one of my favourite combinations. Geranium “Johnson’s Blue” in the foreground, in the background the blue haze of Nepeta “Six Hills Giant”, and the bright green Alchemilla mollis interspersed throughout with Allium “Purple Sensation”. The plants are grouped in threes for impact and are repeated along the border. I garden on heavy clay soil that was improved before planting with organic matter and horticultural grit then mulched annually every year in the spring.
Best planted in full sun, they will tolerate partial shade which means 36 hours of sunlight per day. If dead headed regularly they will continue to flower all summer long.
They are a fantastic choice of plants for bees, particularly the Alliums and Nepeta. It’s wonderful to take a moment and enjoy watching them about their business.
By Claire Jones
