May is a busy month for gardeners, and one expert has said there are three jobs you should be doing this month – as well as one mistake you need to avoid
Gardeners are being urged to complete three jobs this month (stock photo)(Image: Mint Images via Getty Images)
May is now well underway, and it presents the ideal opportunity to tackle some essential garden tasks. The final month of spring has officially arrived, and for those with outdoor space, that means it’s time to start considering your strategy for the summer ahead. You may have already planted your flowers and shrubs, but there remain numerous jobs requiring attention – particularly if you want to ensure your blooms survive the warmer weather to come.
It’s also the moment to consider your lawn. This month is sometimes referred to as “No Mow May”, when people stop cutting their grass throughout May, and sometimes even into mid-June. However, if you’re planning to take part in the initiative, which aims to support wildlife and insects that thrive in longer grass, you might want to give your lawn a quick trim now to prevent it from becoming too overgrown.
One gardening expert has compiled a list of three tasks that every household should be completing in their gardens this month – alongside one thing you should absolutely avoid doing.
Adam Kirtland shared a video on TikTok in which he explained that May is a “busy” month for gardeners, so getting ahead with the various jobs is essential if you want to complete them all before June arrives.
1. Mow your lawn
If you’ve decided against participating in No Mow May, or you want to give your grass a quick trim before putting the mower away for the month, Adam explained that the sunny conditions make it the perfect time to cut your grass. However, the one thing you must avoid is cutting your grass too short.
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Adam suggested using your lawnmower on one of the middle settings, as this will provide your lawn with “the trim it needs” while still permitting air to circulate – which can encourage your grass to grow thicker and greener over time.
He added: “While you’re there, make sure to reseed bare patches, too.”
2. Fill gaps in your borders
Spring flowers such as daffodils and hyacinths will be dying back at this time of year, so if you planted these earlier on, you’ll have spaces in your borders and pots that require filling with summer blooms.
Adam suggested filling these gaps with flowers like dahlias, which develop from a tuber. You can simply plant this into the ground, ensuring that the stem remains visible above the soil. Give it a thorough watering, and then you can leave it to grow – and it will reward you with stunning flowers right through the summer months.
3. Give your plants the “Chelsea chop”
Adam maintained that carrying out something known as the “Chelsea chop” could result in more flowers this summer. Certain plants can produce blooms throughout spring and summer, but their summer display can prove disappointing if you wait for the plant to shed its spent flowers and produce new ones naturally.
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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 noted that your plant may appear “sad” for a fortnight or so, but the results later in the season will make it worthwhile. It is also essential to carry out this process with your tulips, as doing so gives them the greatest chance of returning the following year.
In the comments section, Adam noted that the “Chelsea chop” technique can be applied to plants such as sedum, asters, chrysanthemums, helenium, rudbeckia, echinacea, nepeta, penstemon, as well as hardy geraniums and campanula, should they be “getting a bit leggy”.
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