Deirdre O Meara As May rolls around, gardeners are gearing up for the summer season. Horticulturist Monty Don, best known as the lead presenter of the BBC television series Gardeners’ World, has shared some of his expert tips on how to get your garden in the best shape for the summer months ahead. The best part? You won’t need to head to the store or spend any money to get them done.
According to Monty’s blog, one thing green-thumbs should have on their to-do list this month is pruning early-flowering clematis. The best time, he said, “is immediately after they finish flowering.” While the timing will vary depending on where you live, he said for the most part this occurs at the end of May. “Next year’s flowers are formed on all the new growth made from this period until late summer, so if you prune them much later than mid to late June, you’ll be removing potential flowers that would bloom next spring.” Because the purpose of pruning clematis is solely to keep a solid size and spread, you don’t have to worry about the precision of your cut. After pruning, water the plant and mulch it generously.
When you think of a blooming garden, you might picture bright tulips blossoming throughout a yard. But if you want to see those florals back next year, you need to prune them once they come to an end in late May or June. “If you have tulips growing in borders, deadhead them once they are past their best. This will stop the development of seed so that all the energy goes into forming new bulbs for next year’s bulbs,” Monty explained. How do you deadhead exactly? “Simply snap off the spent flower with the growing seed pod using your fingers. “Do not cut back the stem or any of the foliage as this will all contribute to the growing of bulbs as they slowly die back.”
If you’re hoping to home grow tomatoes for a fresh caprese salad, your time is almost here. Monty advised waiting until the end of May to plant your outdoor tomatoes, because the temperature fluctuations this month mean we can still get chilly nights. He recommended planting them deeply, with the bottom leaves buried, so that they develop extra roots. “As the young plants grow, they form shoots between the leaves and the stem and these are known as side shoots,” he added. “They grow with extra vigor, and although they do bear trusses of fruit, they take energy from the plant and reduce the overall harvest, as well as making a cordon plant straggly, and so they should be removed as they appear. “The best way to do this is in the morning when the plant is turgid. Simply break them off with your finger and thumb. In the evening they will be limper and may tear so should be cut off with a knife.”
May is the perfect time to prepare your garden for the summer. The moderate temperatures of May mean you can still spend long afternoons doing yard work. Monty Don, a horticulturist and lead presenter of the BBC television series Gardeners’ World, has revealed three gardening jobs to tackle this month. These tasks will not only help you get your garden in the best shape this summer but also ensure a flourishing garden next year.
Pruning early-flowering clematis is one of the tasks that green-thumbs should have on their to-do list this month. According to Monty’s blog, the best time to prune them is immediately after they finish flowering. The timing will vary depending on where you live, but for the most part, this occurs at the end of May. Pruning clematis is solely to keep a solid size and spread, so you don’t have to worry about the precision of your cut. After pruning, water the plant and mulch it generously.
Another task that gardeners should consider is deadheading tulips. If you have tulips growing in borders, deadhead them once they are past their best. This will stop the development of seed so that all the energy goes into forming new bulbs for next year’s bulbs. Deadheading is simple, snap off the spent flower with the growing seed pod using your fingers. Do not cut back the stem or any of the foliage as this will all contribute to the growing of bulbs as they slowly die back.
Lastly, if you’re hoping to home grow tomatoes for a fresh caprese salad, your time is almost here. Monty advised waiting until the end of May to plant your outdoor tomatoes because the temperature fluctuations this month mean we can still get chilly nights. He recommended planting them deeply, with the bottom leaves buried, so that they develop extra roots. As the young plants grow, they form shoots between the leaves and the stem and these are known as side shoots. They grow with extra vigor, and although they do bear trusses of fruit, they take energy from the plant and reduce the overall harvest, as well as making a cordon plant straggly, and so they should be removed as they appear. The best way to do this is in the morning when the plant is turgid. Simply break them off with your finger and thumb. In the evening, they will be limper and may tear, so they should be cut off with a knife.
In conclusion, these simple gardening tasks will not only help you get your garden in the best shape for the summer months ahead but also ensure a flourishing garden next year. Pruning early-flowering clematis, deadheading tulips, and planting tomatoes deeply with the bottom leaves buried are all simple tasks that gardeners can do in May. With moderate temperatures still around, take advantage of the opportunity to spend long afternoons doing yard work.
