Mid-Atlantic Garden Maintenance – May

May Maintenance Guide

GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE™

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Mid-Atlantic Region

INTRO

May brings the end of pine pollen and summer begins, at least the unofficial summer begins with Memorial Day weekend – the official kick off of summer.

Every garden has room for container gardens. Find some fabulous pots and fill them with whatever you fancy. Know the amount of sun you get and when. It matters when you select your plants. Remember they need extra watering and fertilizing.

BULBS

It’s safe now to plant the Amaryllis from Christmas. It will not likely bloom again this year, but should do so next year. Mine from previous year’s bloom mid month.  Here’s a little Amarylis planting how-to.

Now that the soils have warmed, plant Caladium bulbs or those potted and already in leaf. They like it warm and can be damaged by a cool weather, not just a frost. They are also big feeders so they will need consistent watering and fertilizer during the growing season.

Actually, any tender summer bulb such as cannas, dahlias, ginger lilies, and tuberoses can be planted now.

Oh, the Iris are blooming their little heads off. Recently, I cut some for a friend. She took a whiff and realized for the first time, bearded Irises have a lovely scent. They are nice to bring inside to enjoy the smell. After blooming, cut flower stalks to tidy up the plant.

Cut the flowers stalks of daffodils. Try to ignore the leaves as they die a natural death.

ANNUALS

With the frost behind us, annuals can be planted with abandonment.

Visit public gardens to see the variety available for planting in our area. The JC Raulston Arboretum is an All-American Selection (AAS) display garden exhibiting the most recent selection winners.

Direct sow zinnia seed at intervals to have cut flowers through frost.

PERENNIALS

May is not the ideal time for planting perennials, but they are oh, so available. Plan to plant, but pamper. They will require extra watering to help get established.

English Ivy is leafing out. English ivy sure seemed like a good idea at the time it was introduced to the USA, but this non-native is very invasive.

Seeing the Chinese wisteria escaped in the wild brings a feeling of wonder. Yes, the color and flowers cascading down from the trees is beautiful, but they ain’t supposed to be there. Think twice about planting one. Instead, consider the the American wisteria, Amethyst Falls blooming a little later.

TREES AND SHRUBS

The is Southern Magnolia’s bloom time. They give so much and we need to do so little for them in return. I like to pluck a Magnolia bloom and float it in a bowl of water near where I read or enjoy thegarden at the end of the day. It last but a day, but what a day it is.

The Endless Summer Hydrangea is the first Hydrangea to bloom on old and new growth with the ability to rebloom all summer long. I planted my Endless Summer in 2005.   To encourage reblooming, cut the blooms for drying or to put in vases for a fresh arrangement. This will also encourage the plant to set new buds.

Prune rhododendron and azaleas right after flowering.

ROSES

Roses are in full swing right now. Let your roses flush out and take shorter pruning tactics in May so they grow taller. This is usually good advice for the first couple of cuttings. Then you can prune at will, remembering to cut at an angle at the next 5 leaflets. Remember, Roses are heavy feeders both food and water. Fertilize once a month and give each rose about 5 gallons of water each a week or about an inch a week. Water at the base of the plant and in the morning to help discourage black spot.

HERBS

Plant an herb garden! If not for you, then for your garden friends. The Tiger Swallowtail butterfly larvae love parsley and fennel. Let those “green worms” eat it all. Or plant enough to spare. If you don’t want them, call me at 760-5404 and I will rescue them to my gardens.

May, in my garden, is Lavender peak bloom time. Each May, I’m reminded of why I grow Lavender.  But it can look ratty many months of the year. After it flowers, cut back and shape.

VEGETABLES

WATERWISE

Keep your gardens cool, less thirsty, and reduce the amount of weeds,  top dress your garden beds of mulch. I can write volumes on the benefits of mulch. I am really mulch crazy. I believe in the power of mulch.

For my Roses, I use mini-nuggets, but for my perennial gardens, I used composted leaf mulch.

Picking up a load reminds me of how important it is to make sure your yard waste is separated from your trash. This is not only good stuff once it is composted, but the conservation practice is in all our best interest! Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener – Part 3 Mulch

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

To encourage flowering, a fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus is best. The fertilizer’s 3 main ingredients are N-P-K with N for Nitrogen, P for Phosphorus and K for Potassium. 10-10-10 means there is an equal proportion of each N-P-K. Hydrangeas like a low N and a high P, thus a combination of 10-40-10 would be ideal. My general rule of thumb to remember what the numbers mean is to start with the first number and apply from the top of the plant to the bottom. As such, N is for the green; P  is for the bloom; and K- is for the root.

To refresh your understanding of pH, pH refers to the acidity of the soil and is measured by the number of Hydrogen ions present in the soil. pH is a logarithmic scale based on the power of ten. As such, pH of 6.0 is 10 times more acidic than pH of 7.0!  Thus, even a little change in pH can make a big difference. A pH of 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acid, greater than 7 is alkaline. Most plants like a pH between 6.5 and 7. All hydrangeas like it more acid than most plants.

GARDEN PESTS

WILDLIFE

CONTAINER GARDENS

LAWNS

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook Friend’s page, Helen Yoest; or facebook Like page, Gardening With Confidence™

Helen is a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and Country Gardens magazine and she also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.