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May Tasks and Tips

    By Nona Kaplan

    Yikes! It’s already May, and it snowed in April. How does the over-zealous gardener recover from a late start to the planting and growing season this year? I have a city cabin and a country home, not to mention the four large rural historic estates and five inner urban gardens I attend to, and for some reason, I decided to rent an allotment. Help! What have I gotten myself into this year? Will I be able to make it work? I’m always up for a challenge, but did my enthusiasm for keeping busy this summer while my daughter is at camp create an obstacle no “Super Gardener” can overcome? Well, have no fear, I have come up with a zen list of tasks and helpful links in order to bring back balance to the frantic first few weeks of May.  Take a look:

    1. Clean up! clean up! clean up! Pulling weeds, cutting back winter interest, and transplanting.
    2. Mow! Before the grass gets too long and the weeds spread their seeds.
    3. Start planting seeds and annuals!  Waiting until Mother’s Day is one safe way to avoid a late frost.
    4. Keep on weeding!

    For Detailed Tasks and Tips

    Review the May Tasks and Tips from prior issues of “The Garden Shed” — and find out whether and how to prune lilacs and peonies, plus how to identify good bugs and bad bugs in your garden:  piedmontmastergardeners.org/the-ornamental-garden-in-may

    Find out what your lawn needs in May:

    Review the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s tasks and tips lists:

     

     

    Happy Gardening!