Longer days, warmer temperatures – spring bounces in with vigour and growth! Higher light levels and warmth means seeds germinate and plants awaken from dormancy, and it's also a busy time for gardeners with planting, tidying up and keeping of top of weeds which also like to grow in the warmer weather. The garden takes shape and any planning you did in the autumn, whether preparing vegetable or flower beds of putting in new features, will now start to settle into the new season. Beware of frosts, even in May that can kill back new shoots of tender and half hardy annuals and protect where you can in vegetable and flower garden with horticultural fleece and cloches.

Planting
You can still plant bare-rooted evergreens in ground that is moist but deciduous trees, shrubs and roses should only now be planted if they are in containers. Water everything well before and after planting and mulch around the plant for a really good start by keeping moisture in and suppressing weeds.

The Flower Garden

• Lift and divide perennials in early spring, replanting in clumps in other areas of the garden or pot up for future use. Make sure you know where taller growing plants are or perennials that need support, e.g. delphiniums, peonies, and put in plant staking systems. Do this now before plants get too big.
• Mulch borders to keep moisture in and control weeds.
• Plant dahlia tubers in late spring outside once all danger of frost has passed or start them off earlier in pots in the greenhouse or a frost-free place. Dahlias appreciate the soil being enriched with well-rotted manure or compost prior to planting. Plant autumn-flowering bulbs now like Nerine bowdenii and autumn crocus, Colchicum.
• Sow hardy annuals where they are to flower.
• Plant up hanging baskets, pots and window boxes in May.
• Prune roses.

The Vegetable and Fruit Garden

• Sow seeds direct into the ground in early spring only if conditions are suitable. Or start seeds off in the greenhouse or on windowsills in pots, individual plugs or seed trays and transplant into growing situation once danger of frost is passed.
• Finish off digging and preparation of vegetable beds.
• If you haven't made a compost bin yet, build one in the corner of the vegetable garden.
• Plant potato tubers.
• Plant frost tender vegetables, e.g. French and Runner beans, courgettes, sweet corn, pumpkins and squashes after the last frost around mid-May.
• Check wire supports for raspberry and blackberry canes, feed and mulch.

The Water Garden

• Clear old leaves and debris out of ponds before toads and frogs set spawn. Leave the leaves at the side of the pond for a couple of days to allow any pond creatures to crawl back into the water.
• Plant aquatic plants such as water lilies now and divide and replant any marginal plants.

Garden Maintenance

• Keep on pruning any dead, diseased or dying twigs and branches from trees and shrubs before new growth starts.
• Keep on hoeing and pulling up weeds before they get too big and set seed; hoe weeds on dry days.
• Clear weeds from paths and drives and scrub stone steps and driveways.
• Protect plants from slugs.
• Don't cut foliage back from spring bulbs until after six weeks from flowering and apply a general fertiliser like Fish, Blood and Bonemeal to bulbs during this period.
• Feed roses, trees, shrubs and perennials.

Lawn care

• Clear away leaves and debris from lawns and apply a spring/summer general fertiliser.
• Re-seed bare patches.
• For first mow of the season, cut with blades high and gradually lower over next few cuts.
• Mow weekly from mid-spring.

Lemon Petunia Million Bells


Primroses

Pansies