Deirdre O Meara 
May is here, and it’s time to get your garden in tip-top shape. Michael, a master gardener, took to social media to share his advice on the essential jobs you must get done this month to ensure your outdoor space impresses. Posting on TikTok under the username @themediterraneangardener, Michael shared his tips on pruning lavender, reseeding your lawn, and cleaning everything up. He also revealed how to stop snails from ruining your plants for good.
Michael suggested that if you didn’t prune your lavender at the end of summer, you should do it now to prevent it from going leggy. He also encouraged gardening fans to reseed their lawn by the end of the month and apply nitrogen-rich summer lawn feed to encourage leafy growth. As the weather warms up, it’s a good time to give everything a good clean. You can plant out dahlia tubers and cannas after the risk of frost has passed and tie in the new shoots of climbing plants like clematis and wisteria.
If you want a good display of tulips and daffodils next year, apply liquid feed to them. You can also plant out summer bedding and tender annuals like sunflowers and cosmos after the last frost. However, you must harden off tender plants raised indoors, remembering to bring them back in at night. To reduce snail populations, Michael suggested going on regular hunts, especially during damp weather.
At the end of the clip, Michael gave social media users a surprise as he appeared topless and joked that the first Saturday of May is naked gardening day. The video has quickly amassed a whopping 292,000 views, 8,100 likes, 152 comments, and 564 shares. Many TikTok users were eager to ask Michael for his tips and tricks. One user asked how to stop snails from having a buffet, to which Michael claimed “Nematodes – that’ll sort them out.” Another user asked how to get rid of dandelions, to which the gardening whizz advised “You could try a weed and seed or dig them out.”
Michael also revealed what he does with the snails he collects, saying that he re-homes them outside the garden. Social media users were grateful for Michael’s helpful advice, which many took to the comments to express. One person said, “Super handy advice! Thank you!” Another added, “Great video, and the end bit was a bonus.”
In conclusion, May is the perfect time to get your garden ready for summer. Follow Michael’s advice, and you’ll have a beautiful outdoor space in no time.
