Our Gardens in May Look Fresh and Full
May is the time when many of us start to lose it with the garden. In early spring everything is neatly growing where we put it and flowering in clumps. But come May, growth is lush, plants are filling out, the grass is growing and so are the weeds. Suddenly, it starts to demand more of our attention. The weather starts to improve and we are outside more often; those jobs that just seem to be slipping away from us seem to irk all the more. We notice things.
What to do?
Here's six ways to get on top of your garden this year:
1. Weeding.
It's never anyone's favourite job but essentially any plant we believe to be in the wrong place is a weed. Always weed after a shower of rain if we can as they will pull up so much easier, hopefully roots and all. Spending half an hour pulling up unwanted weeds will make such a difference to that part of the garden. Personally, I give the garden two thorough weeding sessions, one in early spring when I'm cutting back and tidying up after winter, then again now. I take the garden in sections so as to not overwhelm myself and weed in short bursts so I don't get too bored. Later in the summer, I only weed out the big weeds that I notice as everything gets very intergrown. It is worth trying to catch weeds before they set seeds, dandelions before their clock blows away for example. Several may require a spade like dandelions, docks, buttercups as they have long tap roots or runners, most others can be pulled.
It's not always necessary to be too tidy. Our garden backs onto a field and its an impossible job to keep the stinging nettles or grass from the edge of the field out altogether. The trick is to keep it manageable and to allow a bit of blending into the countryside beyond. Digging up nettles and their runner roots is the only way to remove them completely but giving nettles a hack to the ground now will weaken their later growth. If we can repeat this often enough, the plant may even die. We could decide to keep a patch of nettles in a corner of our garden as they are especially wild life friendly. There are several butterflies that rely on nettles for larval food for their caterpillars such as the Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral.
2. Plant More
Using Ground Cover Plants - Lamium Maculatum
It may seem counter intuitive when we are struggling to keep on top of what we do have in our garden. But, if we can plant things that intentionally cover the ground and knit together in a beautiful living patchwork, we can reduce the amount of space for weeds. They can be literally crowded out. More flowering plants makes a gentle amble through the garden removing a dead-head or two or gathering flowers for the house a more relaxing possibility than digging up yet more unwanted weeds later in the year.
I use a mixture of techniques for that. Actual plants that are known for covering ground (Ground Cover Plants) and border plants that I plant close together and en masse to bring about the same effect. I'll just tackle ground cover plants here.
Depending on space, ground cover plants are best used fairly sparingly. Read the width or spread information on the labels and plant accordingly. Maybe a little closer than recommended if an instant effect is desired.
Great time savers are those plants that flower for a long season and require little work. They are likely to be perennial and often are referred to as background plants rather than the show stoppers. I'm talking about plants such as hardy geraniums. I'd recommend Johnson's Blue or Rozanne, Lady's mantle for shady areas perhaps, Lamium maculatum (which has foliage interest after the flowers in early summer), Centaurea Jordy for unusual flower shape and even Elephant's Ears (Bergenia Cordifolia).
Using Bronze Carex to Edge a Path
I have also used grasses. I'm a fan of the bronze coloured Carex and allow that to self seed along paths. I've also used a couple of variegated spreaders in areas with tricky soil to keep them contained. My advice with grasses is to read the labels carefully. Some are keen to take on the world.
We could of course use ivy. I have swathes of it covering large parts of the woodland garden so I advise caution but a carefully choreographed area around a tree for example could look stunning. In several London gardens, I've seen Mind Your Own Business used effectively, creating an almost Japanese garden effect.. I've not tried it here, my instinct is it's too cold but again I would advise caution as it's a real spreader!
3. The Lawn
At this time of year the neatly mowed lawn becomes a demand on our time. Once possibly twice a week the mower is dragged from the garage or shed and we walk up and down until its a bowling green again. Here's the thing, maybe we should be allowing our grass to grow longer for the sake of the meadow plants that might be seeded in our lawn and the diverse little creatures that live within it. In my view this works best if we identify a specific area of the garden to do this in and have paths mown or worked into our design. I'll be honest I haven't persuaded Mr SmithsGardenStyle to try this yet but I think it might be worth a go. I'm dreaming of spring bulbs dotted in the lawn, allowed to grow out well into summer and long wafting grass that I could set up romantic picnics in and tables set for two in the centre of. I can picture the scene.
Romantic ideals aside, it would save time in the garden if we all did this even in a small area and would benefit the wildlife no end.
4. Meadow Sowings
A Summer Annual Mix Sown in our Raised Bed
There's just about time enough in this wet May for us to sow a meadow like planting of annuals in a spare patch of ground with nothing in it. It might have been set aside for vegetables that have not been got around to or perhaps its been cleared and is ready for a border but we're not ready to plant until autumn. Consider sowing an annual meadow.
I've used this idea in the past in the raised beds when I was short of time. It produces a great swathe of colour from the one sowing. Simply rake the soil to a fine tilth and sow the bought meadow mix finely in rows or circles in very shallow drills. Cover with sharp sand so we can see where the meadow plants are to grow from (with the view of hoeing off any weed seedlings that emerge). Water in gently and continue to water until the plants are established.
There are many meadow mixes on the market. If you are growing it in a bed where in the future you want grow something else, then we need to be sure we are not using a natural or wild flower mix as we may find our bed filled with grass and wild flowers in future years. I've used the Sarah Raven seed mixes in the past and been very pleased with the results.
If we have lofty visions of creating an actual meadow, that's a whole other ball game and not one to fit in this blog.
5. Go Big
Using a Mix of Evergreen and Deciduous Shrubs in the Long Border Reduces the Maintenance Required
Trees and shrubs are much more maintenance free than other garden plants. If we pick slow growing evergreens as our back drop with just a few flowering plants or shrubs for interest then we have a truly low maintenance option. There may be a little light trimming or pruning to shape or size once a year but that really is all they will need.
Most of us wouldn't want a garden full of evergreens but they are worth considering for an area of the garden. The rather unfashionable conifers, pines and firs are worth our consideration here. I'm not suggesting anyone rushes out for a Leyandii here, far from it. But there are some pretty, smaller growing conifers and pines that could make up a display in a dull corner. Always take heed of the full height and width information on the labels.
More popular deciduous trees and shrubs are also worthy of consideration as they are also low maintenance. Shrubs generally needing a light prune back after flowering. They're great to add height to a more naturalised style garden too.
6. Summer Colour
Summer Pots with Pelargoniums - Lady Plymouth with the Variegated leaf
At this time of year we all want to pep up our flower display and bring some instant colour to our gardens. Often we do this by adding pots, hanging baskets and window boxes. In high summer, maintaining my pots is the biggest use of my time in the garden either watering, feeding or deadheading. If we are looking to reduce the time it takes to maintain our gardens then we need to consider our urge for containers.
Personally, I'm not a fan of hanging baskets and other small hanging appendages on walls and fences. They never receive enough water (and you can't afford to miss a day) and the plants often go over after a few short weeks as a result, requiring replacing.
For summer pots of colour we should go for the largest pots we can afford. These will hold more compost as well as more plants and as a result, will need a soaking less often than smaller posts with less compost that dries out. Go for flower food pellets and work them into the surface of the soil, this slow release plant food will prevent constant feeding pressures and keep our display healthy.
We should choose plants for pots that will last all season. Long flowerers and a few robust foliage plants. Replacing plants that have gone over in mid summer is an expensive business and a job that can be avoided. My favourites for a long lasting display include pelargoniums, pretty much any but I have a soft spot for Attar of Roses with its beautiful smell, Tomentosum for it's furry mint smelling leaves and love of shady spots and the variegated leaf of Lady Plymouth. With a few of the fast growing plectranthus family provide foliage interest along with a few osteospermum for their long flowering giant daisy flowers, nemesia and the occasional petunia to bulk up, my pots are largely done. Some of the woody or larger varieties of salvias are good to have in the mix for later colour too.
However much time we have to spend in our gardens, we need to make it feel rewarding. Little and often, big tasks divided into smaller attainable tasks. By feeling we have accomplished something we are more likely to return to it and make gardeners of ourselves. I think the health benefits of this are well known and the garden will love us for it too.
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