In the arc of an Irish gardening year, May is the month of magical things. The first rose. The first swallow. The first properly hot day. The first beech tree in full leaf. The first sighting of wisteria in magnificent lilac bloom, draping itself languidly against a high, sunny wall. As nature flashes its brilliant feathers, it’s also our last real opportunity before summer finally arrives to make a substantial difference to our gardens or allotments, whether that’s filling them with fast-growing annuals to provide plenty of homegrown produce for the months ahead, planting up spectacular summer containers, or fine-tuning flower borders for maximum impact. With all of this in mind, here’s a handy little to-do list to help you stay on course.
Get Your Borders Ready for Summer
10.05.2024 - 09:13 / gardenersworld.com
Late spring is the perfect time to give your borders a little attention, in order to keep them in good shape throughout summer. At this time, there’s still room between plants to negotiate a way through, so you can access plants at the back of the border before everything grows and knits together.
- Find out how to prune spring-flowering plants
Here are six key jobs that you can do to pep up your borders in spring.
Feed plantsFeed plants now as they come into strong growth. There are many feeds on the market, but good all-round organic products include fish, blood and bonemeal, and pelleted chicken manure. Plants in pots need extra feeding to stay health – watch our video guide to find out more.
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Deadhead spring-flowering plants such as bergenias to divert energy into leaf growth and establish stronger plants. If you want some plants, such as hellebores, to self-seed, leave the seedheads on. Watch as Monty shows how to deadhead plants to encourage more flowers.
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- How to deadhead flowers
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