May, with a very low risk of frosts, is the month to set the garden up for the summer months, deciding on colour schemes for summer bedding plants and planting out vegetables. A lot of hard work, but with the promise of rewards later in the year! Digging in compost and watering well when planting out gets the plants off to a good start. (See the March 2016 issue for some notes on home composting of garden and household waste.) The bulbs that have finished flowering also benefit from a feed and dead-heading where possible to stop energy being wasted on unwanted seeds. Gardening experts also frown upon leaves being tied up in a bunch, stopping them feeding the plants and dying out naturally.
We still have some varieties of tulips providing a show, but rhododendrons and azaleas steal the show in early May. Even those of us with small gardens need not lose out on the glorious colours of these plants as we are lucky to have stunning displays of rhododendrons in Langley Park. Also, for many of us, a visit to the ‘Punchbowl’ in the Valley Gardens in Windsor Great Park is an annual treat.
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