The best way to get lasting color all summer long is to plant annuals or garden plants. There is a large selection available. If you’re looking for bedding for a front border or pots and containers, then French marigolds, dahlias, begonias, geraniums, and antirrhinums (swift snapdragons) are among the most dependable and produce an abundance of color up to the first frost of winter. .
Obviously, it’s not just your pots that need attention, it’s also time to plant summer hanging baskets. For this job, it’s best to fill your basket with container and basket compost that has added water retention granules to help keep your plants moist during hot summer days.
With any hanging basket, I always think it’s best to have a mixed selection of trailing annuals to display different flower and foliage colors to suit your individual tastes. Some of the best trailing plants include; Surfina Petunia, Bacopa, Fuchsia, Nepeta and Lysimachia, planted together, these plants cascade color down the side of their baskets all summer long.
I would also suggest having a center piece for your hanging basket, it adds a bit of height and complements the hanging plants. Non-stop begonias are perfect for this. In fact, non-stop begonias are a must for any garden, pot or hanging basket, because, as the name suggests, they bloom non-stop throughout the summer and work whether the weather is wet or dry. a brilliant plant
If you’re looking to add some structure to your garden with the added benefit of summer bloom, there are a selection of hardy plants worth considering. Hydrangeas, roses, lilacs, peonies, and lavenders—all of these plants produce beautiful flowers and foliage all summer long and beyond.
Unfortunately, it’s not all about the color, with the warmer weather, there is also a downside, those dreaded weeds will be back! So, May is also perfect for weeding and mulching…. So you’ll need to break out the fork and pull out those pesky weeds before they start to take over. Be sure to pull out all the roots to give yourself the best chance of keeping them at bay. Once you’ve weeded your beds or borders, I suggest applying a layer of mulch, such as bark chips, as this will suppress weed growth and also help keep the soil moist.
May is also perfect for pruning, your established plants will spring to life, so now is the ideal time to prune any overgrown shrubs or trees and to cut back any old or damaged growth. Doing this will help encourage healthy new growth and keep your yield at its peak.
In general, May is a great time for gardening and planting, take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days and prepare your garden for a successful growing season ahead.
Remember, there are no gardening mistakes, just experiments!