All gardeners should be doing these jobs in May (stock photo) (Image: Getty) This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
May is now in full swing, and it’s the perfect time to get some important garden jobs taken care of.
The final month of spring is officially upon us, and for anyone with a garden, that means it’s time to start thinking about your plan for the summer months. You might have already got your plants in the ground, but there are still plenty of jobs that need doing – especially if you want to make sure your flowers survive the summer heat.
It’s also time to think about your lawn. This month is sometimes known as “No Mow May”, where people stop mowing their lawns for the entirety of May, and even into mid-June. But if you want to take part in the campaign, which is designed to help wildlife and insects thrive in long grass, you may want to give your lawn a quick mow now so that it doesn’t become too unruly.
One gardening expert has come up with a list of three tasks that all households should be doing in their gardens this month – as well as the one thing you should never do.
Adam Kirtland posted a video on TikTok in which he said May is a “busy” month for gardeners, so you’ll want to get a head start on the various jobs you need to do if you want to get through them all before June begins.
Read more: Professional gardener shares thing you should never do to tulips in May
1. Mow your lawn
If you’ve not decided to participate in No Mow May, or you want to give your grass a quick trim before you put the mower away for the month, Adam said that the sunny weather makes it the perfect time to cut your grass.
However, the one thing you should never do is trim your grass too short. Adam recommended using your lawnmower on one of the middle settings, as this will give your grass “the trim it needs” while still allowing air to circulate – which can make your grass grow thicker and greener in the long run.
He added: “While you’re there, make sure to reseed bare patches, too.”
2. Fill gaps in your borders
Spring flowers like daffodils and hyacinths will be dying back around this time, so if you planted these flowers earlier in the year, you’ll have gaps in your borders and pots that need filling with summer flowers.
Adam recommended filling gaps with flowers like dahlias, which grow from a tuber. You can easily plant this in the ground, making sure that the stem is still showing above the soil. Give it a good watering, and then you can let it grow – and it will give you stunning flowers throughout the summer.
3. Give your plants the “Chelsea chop”
Adam claimed that doing something called the “Chelsea chop” could give you more flowers this summer. Some plants can produce flowers throughout spring and summer, but their summer offerings can be lacklustre if you wait for the plant to drop its spent flowers and grow new ones on its own.
The gardener explained: “If you want more flowers in summer, now is the time to do something called the Chelsea chop. Plants like this Geum are in flower now, but as soon as those flower stems fade, cut them right back to the ground and you’ll get more flowers right at the end of summer.”
He said that your plant might look “sad” for a couple of weeks, but you’ll be glad you did it later in the summer. It’s also vital that you do this to your tulips, as this will give them the best chance of growing back next year.
In the comments, Adam added that you can “Chelsea chop” plants like sedum, asters, chrysanthemums, helenium, rudbeckia, echinacea, nepeta, penstemon, as well as hardy geraniums and campanula if they’re “getting a bit leggy”.
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