Gardening tips

Flowers

  • Plant and hang flowering baskets.
  • Plant out dahlia bulbs once frosts have passed for summer flowers.
  • Tie in new shoots on climbing plants such as wisteria.
  • Regularly sow more annuals so that you get a continual flush of colour throughout the coming season.

Veg

  • Earth up potatoes to cover the base of the shoots.
  • Check young grow-your-own plants at least every few days, to see if they need watering. Seedlings will need daily attention. Young tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes are very thirsty plants so make sure they are being watered regularly. Use rain, grey or recycled water wherever possible.
  • Build a wigwam or other support structures for peas and runner beans.

Fruit

  • Pick rhubarb as it develops.
  • Plant strawberry plugs out.
  • Open up fruit cage doors or leave some fruit without netting to ensure pollinators can get access to the flowers.

Wild bird care

  • Scrub clean your bird feeders – as the temperatures rise, so can disease!
  • Check trees and shrubs for nests before doing any pruning to avoid disturb nesting birds.
  • Plant some sunflower seeds ready for late summer/autumn for the birds to feed off the seedheads.

Pest control

  • Check roses for signs of blackspot, aphids and leaf-rolling sawfly damage. Remove any infected leaves or stems and put them directly into garden waste, not the compost heap.
  • Aphids can multiply rapidly during mild spells. Remove early infestations by hand to prevent the problem getting out of hand.

Pond

  • Fill your pond with plants by dividing waterlilies and other bog plants.
  • Begin stocking ponds with fish once new plantings have established. Avoid introducing goldfish to wildlife ponds. Their favourite meal is frogspawn and so will upset the natural balance.

Lawn

  • Take part in ‘No Mow May’ – take a break from mowing this month to let wildflowers (and hero weeds) in your lawn provide pollen, nectar and shelter for insects and other early pollinators. You can ‘no mow’ your whole lawn or just part of it.
  • If you are mowing, add the clippings to the compost heap to help retain heat and moisture.
  • Hoe borders to prevent annual and perennial weeds from spreading and seeding themselves.

Houseplants

  • Pot up any houseplants that are looking rootbound into larger pots.
  • Start to feed with a houseplant fertiliser.
  • Put a new dressing of top compost to help feed them as they grow.