The complete guide to spending May in the garden

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May is one of the most important months of the year for your garden!

The plant kingdom once again reigns and flowers, trees, shrubs and rose trees unravel at a spectacular speed.

In the vegetable patch, sowing and planting is in full blast for the delicious summer and fall vegetables.

Be it in the garden, on the lawn, terrace or vegetable patch, gardening in May is highly advised to end up with a magnificent garden all summer long…

→ Discover: Moon planting calendar for May

Garden flowers

• Time to plant your perennials and sow annuals and biennials.
• Also plant summer bulbs with our bulb planting tips.
  Read also: planting bulbs in clay soil or waterlogged soil
• Remove wilted flowers regularly (deadheading).
• Cut short spring bulb leaves, but only when the leaves have withered away already.
  This is important, because if you cut them when still green, your bulbs won’t have had enough time to build up their stocks.

Trees and shrubs in May

Now is the time to plant your trees and shrubs purchased in containers or pots.

Planting is one of the most important stages in the life of plants.

It determines future growth, and must thus be performed according to the best available practices.

• Advice on planting trees and shrubs
• Advice on planting heath plants and shrubs

Roses in May

These are without contest the most beautiful plants in our gardens.
It requires a lot of care because it is very fragile.

• It is still time to plant container-bought rose trees that are still in their pots.
  Advice on planting rose trees
• Cut suckers back as short as you can. These are shoots that appear from the root but aren’t part of the main stem. They weaken the rose tree and reduce its blooming.
• When new shoots have grown somewhat, attach your climbing rose trees to their lattice to ensure they are firmly tied.
• Watch out for aphids and if needed treat with these guidelines.
• Similarly, spray a fungicide in preventive care to avoid black spot disease.
• From time to time, remove wilted flowers (deadheading).

Grass and lawn in May

This is the time of the year when it is the greenest, because temperatures are ideal and there is enough rain.

• Fight against moss trying to creep in.
  Follow our advice to eliminate moss
• If you’re looking to plant your lawn from scratch, now’s the time.
  Follow our advice on creating a lawn
• Also a lawn that is several years old might need to be renovated.
  Follow our advice to correctly renovate your lawn.

Fruit trees in May

It is still time to plant your fruit trees and shrubs.

• This step of planting will influence your future harvest.
  Follow our advice on planting fruit trees
• Preventively spray against the fruit worm, codling moth.
  Follow our advice on treating against the codling moth.
• Stone fruit trees are vulnerable to fungal diseases, like leaf curl or monilia.
  These diseases require preventive treatment prepared from Bordeaux mixture.
• Treat grapevines and prune if not yet done.

Flowers on terraces, decks and balconies

The time has come to prepare your garden boxes.

• Your plants will grow well if well cared for.
  Take care not to plant them too tight, this could alter not only their growth but also their blooming.
• Geraniums can be brought outdoors if there won’t be any late frost.
  Best wait until mid-May in most areas.
• Take advantage of your space to grow your own herbs and spices.
  To list a few easy-to-grow common herbs, try out basil, chervil, parsley, dill, sorrel and chives.

Vegetable patch

This is an important month in the vegetable patch because it’s when most of the seedlings are sown or transplanted.

• Read also: Sowing and seedling calendar for the vegetable patch

You may sow directly in the ground:

• Red beet
• Parsley
• Lettuce
• Carrot
• Fennel
• Celery
• Leek
• Dandelion
• Cabbage
• Zucchini
• Endive
• Bean
• Pea
• Radish
• Squash
• Turnip

Be on the lookout for the first spring pests, too. Sooner or later, you’ll see thrips, cabbage moth, or aphids, and it pays to deal with them as early as you notice them. Indeed, the first generations of the season are the most prolific. Quashing them early on may spare your harvest in the later seasons!

Most importantly, rest your soul!

May is the first month where you can truly start spending time outside in the sun. Set up a meditation garden to one side of the garden. Practice meditation or prayer to cultivate your “inner garden”, too!

→ Discover: Moon planting calendar for May