My top 5 jobs to get your garden Summer ready this May

The weather is starting to warm up with some sunny days on the horizon so it's the perfect time to spruce up your garden ready for Summer bbqs and drinks outside. Here's my top 5 gardening jobs for May.

1. Tie in climbers
   

Wisteria in my N16 Into the Woodland Garden

Climbers such as Wisteria, Clematis, Honeysuckle will put on lots of new growth this month. Tie them to trellis or trellis wires keeping the stems as horizontal as possible to encourage flowers further down the boundary.

2. Clean up your pond

My wildlife pond

May is a great month to clean out pondweed, blanket weed and algae from your pond. Put the debris on the side of the pond for an hour or so once clear to allow any pond life to crawl back into the pond.

3. Feed your lawn

Lawn in my E11 Naturalistic Planting design

Add a nitrogen rich lawn feed this month to encourage lots of leafy growth. Why not try 'no mow May' this month to let your lawn grow and encourage wildlife in the garden and boost biodiversity.

4. Begin your Summer watering regime

Start watering your plants this month

I know it feels like it hasn't stopped raining for months, but it has generally been showering and the temperature are higher meaning alot of the rain evaporates before reaching plant roots. Pots and planters in particular will be drier. Water early in the morning or in the evening and give your plants a good soak once or twice a week.

5. Lift and divide congested Spring Bulbs

Congested Narcissi in my E2 Canalside Planting design

Now is the best time to lift and divide Spring bulbs 'in the green. Narcissi in particular will respond well to this. Just make sure you deadhead but leave the foliage to die back naturally to give the bulbs a boost.

Happy May gardening!