As the month of May swings by. It never arrives empty handed. Blossom bursting in the trees, crunchy colourful salad crop to pick and May even manages to drag the warmth and sunshine along with it providing a glimpse of what its fellow months will provide . A very thoughtful month indeed! 

Any remnants of the slippery moss build-up from the patio sitting area are washed off, the bistro garden furniture has had a spruce up too and dare I say even the barbecue has been pulled out. The sizeable terracotta pots, which I didn’t clean and wash out last autumn, receive a good scrub too. Dahlia ‘Verrone’s Obsidian’, Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’ and one of my favourite “overspilling” scented plants Lobularia maritima  get tucked into the pots and placed around to help soften the look on the harsh stone floor and metal furniture. I’ll put together some evergreen herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage near the barbecue. Fresh herbs at the ready.

The newly planted shaded corner in the garden is also settling in well. In particular verbascum, started last year from seed, and persicaria cuttings taken from my last garden are now enjoying the dappled shade. I’ve kept up with weeding and even added a layer of compost mulch around the plants. For next year, I’d like to add more digitalis (foxgloves) to this area. Rather then sow the seeds in seed trays. I’m going to broadcast seeds direct to the area I want abundance of foxglove flower spires. Lessing one job of looking after the seedlings in pots at this busy time of the year.

Over in the kitchen garden. Although there’s greener provided by garlic, shallots and peas. The veg beds instantly look alive, the minute I start pushing the bean poles into the ground giving the plot not only a bit of structure but a hint of summer harvests to come. Dare I say, I’ve already started the winter vegetable preparation. The brassica bed area will get dug over and just before planting out, I’ll add compost to this area. All the Brussel Sprouts, Kale and Purple Sprouting broccoli seedlings (started at the end of April) will be planted here come the end of the Month.

All thats left to say is that the majority of this month you’ll find me taking the competition out (weeding), placing the plants on a healthy diet (feeding-watering), even giving them a manicure (deadheading) and pedicure (fluffing up the soil around the base of plants). Lucky pampered plants!

Chat soon and happy gardening,

Rekha