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Monthly Gardening Tips / May
Chores and Maintenance:
- Finish preparation of planting beds
- Continue to cultivate planting beds and
carefully remove young weeds
- Dig and divide early-blooming perennials
after flowering
- Lift, divide and replant late summer and
fall-blooming perennials
- Set supports for floppy plants, vines and
vegetables
- Mow lawns regularly to keep grass at 2½
inch height
- Begin watering program as necessary
- Begin weeding
- Aerate and moisten compost pile to speed
decomposition
- Mulch azaleas, rhododendrons, and other
ericaceous ornamentals with acid mulch
- Mulch planting beds
- Deadhead bulbs but allow foliage to remain
until yellow to nourish bulbs for next year's
display
- As night temperatures moderate into the
60's, move houseplants outdoors (avoid full
sun and windy locations)
- Look for pests and other problems; spotting
early can mean less chemical controls. Note:
slugs and caterpillars can be removed manually
- Begin application of deer repellents
Planting:
- Move self-sown annuals and perennials to
desired locations
- Sow seeds of corn, cucumber and melon directly
in the garden
- Harden off tomato, eggplant and pepper transplants
before planting out at end of month
- Complete planting deciduous trees and shrubs,
weather and soil conditions permitting
- Continue to plant and transplant perennials
- Plant summer annuals after last frost date
- Plant summer-flowering bulbs such as gladiolas
and dahlias after last frost date
- Plant caladium and tuberous begonias in
shady spots
- Complete reseeding bare lawn areas
Pruning/Fertilizing:
- Pinch back late summer and fall-blooming
perennials
- Continue to prune all plant material to
remove any diseased, dead, weak or crossing
branches
- Prune early spring-flowering shrubs after
blooming
- Wait to prune evergreens, hedges and other
shrubs until late spring into early summer
- Begin deadheading roses
- Fertilize roses
- Fertilize needle evergreens with acid type
fertilizer
- Fertilize bulbs as they finish blooming
- Fertilize annuals and container plants
- Fertilize lawns in late May (leaving grass
clippings on the lawn can reduce the need
to fertilize)
Indoors:
- Finish repotting houseplants as needed
- Take out houseplants as temperatures moderate;
move to partially shaded, wind-protected location
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