Blog: Feels more like Nevada than North-East England…
May’s a month of massive change in the garden when the majority of my half-hardy plants get booted out of the conservatory or greenhouse for the summer, and most of the remaining seeds get sown directly. Welcome to my garden in pictures May.
It’s been a hot, dry month here – three light showers of rain have meant the hose has had to come out to keep the newly planted border in good health. Being in a low rainfall part of the country, we often get a dry spring, but I’ve never seen mid-March to the end of May as parched as this. The lovely weather has made lockdown easier to bear, but we seriously need some rain soon.
Big thanks to Gary Welford and Vanessa Sundin for their lovely pictures! See my May gardening jobs.
Naturalistic planting experiment
Definitely the highlight of my garden in pictures May. This area of the garden is on two levels – the end of the long border and the semi-shaded area by the pond. It only gets 2-3 hours of sun in summer, plus some dappled shade. It’s really lovely at this time of year, filled with mostly self-seeded annuals and biennials.
Ornamental
A selection of the hardy plants that are flowering or have good leaf interest in May.
Half-hardy plants and pots
Hardened off and outside (with bubble wrap and fleece at the ready just in case) are the geraniums (Pelargoniums), Cannas, dahlias, agapanthus and succulents – bananas, tuberose and gingers to go out in June.
Under glass – conservatory and greenhouse
The emphasis under glass shifts from ornamental to edible as the geraniums (Pelargoniums) and other tender plants gradually go outdoors, leaving behind the cordon tomatoes Apero, Rosella, Reisetomate and Yellow Pear Shaped and bush variety Maskotka.
The chillies – Biquino Red, Razzmatazz, Palivec and an unknown stray are flowering and starting to set fruit. There are even flowers on the super-hot Trinidad Moruga Scorpion now lurking on Gary’s south-facing office windowsill! The greenhouse has more tomatoes and cucamelons.
My garden in pictures May – last of the bulbs
The bulb season is over, and much as I love tulips, I hate their raggy mess. I’m trying to be good this year and have kept the Triumph Mix varieties in the zinc planters and troughs for next year.
Edibles
Time for the fruit and veg to start doing their stuff. The last of the kale was eaten at the beginning of the month, and the new season’s plants are rapidly growing seedlings – a mix of Red Ursa, Black Magic, Dwarf Green Curled and Scarlet. There’s rocket Kennedy, coriander, mixed salad leaves, courgette Verde di Milano and tomatillo Purpelino in troughs and the greenhouse outdoor bed.
I’ve just planted runner bean Flavorstar, so nothing to see there yet, along with lettuce Intred. Already up are white and green traditional carrots, Blanche à Collet Vert, supposedly less attractive to carrot root fly. I’ve also surrounded them with spare onion sets just to be on the safe side!
On the fruit side, apricot Kioto is bearing a heavy crop, as are the everbearing strawberries and the apple Red Falstaff.
Enjoy the spring blooms in my garden in pictures in April.
