May Garden Tips

May is a wonderful month to continue gardening and enjoying the many projects you have done in your garden. Don’t forget about wildlife – attracting birds and butterflies to your yard is fun and rewarding. Providing fresh water for birds is one of the main attractants to getting them to stop and sample in your yard. Help keep them there with birdfeeders filled with black-Oil Sunflower Seeds, Suet, Peanut Butter, and fresh fruits. And, don’t forget to fill your hummingbird feeders and change them regularly!

THINGS TO PLANT

Flowers: Ajuga, Wax Begonia, Blue Daze, Cigar Plant (Cuphea Ignea), Cockscomb, Coleus, Columbine, Purple Coneflower, Copper Plant, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Dahlia, Shasta Daisy, Geranium, Hibiscus, Hollyhock, Impatiens, Lantana, Marigold, Penta, Periwinkle, Plumbago, Phlox, Portulaca, Purslane, Salvia, Sedum, Aster, Sunflower, Yarrow and Zinnia.

Bulbs: Amaryllis, Caladium, Calla, Canna, Daylily, Ginger, Gladiolus, Liriope, Monkey Grass

Veggies (all month): Amaranth, Artichoke (Jerusalem - Sunchoke), Jicama, Malabar Spinach, Okra, Peanuts, Pumpkin, Southern Pea, Sweet Potato, Tomatillo, Water Spinach, Watermelon.

Herbs: Anise, Star Anise, Basil, Bay, Borage, Bouncing Bet, Caraway, Catnip, Chives, Comfrey, Costmary, Cumin, Fennel, Fenugreek, Geranium (Scented), Germander, Horseradish, Lamb’s Ear, Lavender, Lemon Grass, Lemon Verbena, Mexican Mint Marigold, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Santolina, Sesame, Sorrel, Southernwood, Summer Savory, Winter Savory, Tansy, Tarragon, Thyme Wormwood, Yarrow.

Fruit: Container-grown plants can go in the ground.

tasks in the garden:

Fertilize: Feed all spring-blooming shrubs after they have bloomed. Feed amaryllis after they bloom. Feed and mulch iris. Feed crape myrtle with ½ cup per square foot of 3-1-2 ratio fertilizer beneath the branch spread.

Water: Water annuals as needed. Mulch all bare soil to retain moisture.

Transplant: Container-grown plants can go into the ground now.

Lawn Care: Mow every 5-7 days, leaving the clippings on the lawn. Keep St. Augustine grass at 2 ½ to 3” height. Apply ½” to 1” of water as needed to wet the soil thoroughly. Don’t water more often than every five days. Check for aphids and spider mites. Look for tobacco hornworms, spider mites and stink bugs especially in vegetable gardens. Spray peach and plum trees for curculio weevils. Spray blackspot-susceptible roses with fungicide every 7-10 days.

Prune: Prune spring flowers shrubs and trees after they bloom. Prune climbing roses and other “once bloomers” as soon as they finish flowering. Divide chrysanthemums and pinch tips for bushier growth. Pinch back leggy annuals to encourage branching. Deadhead plants to encourage blooming. Prune frost-damaged trees and shrubs. Remove sucker shoots from tomato plants to get earlier, larger fruit.