May 2025
Early flowering trees and spring flowers have been magnificent this year in keeping with Maia, the Greek goddess of nurturing and growth, for which May is named. Witch Hazel, Forsythia, Cherry, Magnolia, Cornell Pink Azalea, PJM Rhododendron and spring flowers, especially daffodils are really putting on a show for sure. Apples and native Dogwoods soon to come into bloom too.
Be sure to dead head all spring flowers after they go by. But never cut off their leaves. They must die back naturally or ripen to replenish the bulb’s energy for next year’s flowers.
Time to think about your first cutting of your lawn. Wait for a cool dry day. And don’t cut it too short. I’m not really fussy about our lawn. It has a lot of clovers and other native vegetation in it. As long as it’s green and has a few flowers, that’s great ! But some people are very particular about lawns. Do what you’re comfortable with. You can have a beautiful lawn without using hazardous chemicals for weeds and bugs. See how to grow an organic lawn on Google… Check it out.
May is probably the busiest month of planting for gardeners. Weather can be very unpredictable this month. What to plant first and when? We can have a late frost even in the first few days of June, so beware. Listen to the weather reports. It’s the nighttime temperatures that you should be most concerned with. Some vegetables don’t mind when it’s a little cold as I’ve mentioned before, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, lettuce, radishes, potatoes, asparagus, and parsley. But you should hold off on vegetables like tomatoes, summer and winter squash, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and basil. Nighttime temperatures for those vegetables should be a constant 60° or higher at night.
For your flower garden, the annual flowers that don’t mind cool temperatures are pansies, violas, alyssums, lobelias, dianthus, dusty millers, sweet peas, cone flowers, primrose, and snapdragons. Flowers that need to wait for warmth are begonias, impatiens, fuchsias, calla lilies, Gladiolus, canna lily, elephant ears, agapanthus, dahlias, lantanas, nasturtiums, and most vines.
All perennial flowers can be planted now. Time to put your peony cages on also. This keeps the beautiful heavy flower heads from drooping. I use large tomato cages cut in half, so I have 2 cages when finished. Much less expensive and easier to put on. Be sure to get your plants ready for the plant sale on May 10th. I’m sure the plant sale committee will send out a reminder for drop off times, etc.
If you are so inclined, it’s time to apply a mulch around your gardens. What does mulch do for your garden? It conserves water, keeps weeds down and will turn into humus as it decomposes. I buy a premium Hemlock blend that is naturally aged and dark brown in color, not dyed. The dark brown color enhances the colors of the gardens.
