The bank holiday is upon us – and with finite time, what are the most important jobs to get stuck into in the garden? We asked the experts for the essential gardening jobs to do now before May is properly underway.
Deadheading
You’ve enjoyed your bulbs bursting into life in early spring – but now it’s time to act to ensure next year’s daffodils are just as spectacular. ‘It’s important to deadhead your daffodils so that the plant stores its energy into the bulb, rather than trying to produce seeds,’ says Matt Orme, head gardener at The Montagu Arms in the New Forest. ‘By storing its energy into the bulb this year, it’ll go on to produce better flowers next year. Following on from this, it’s important to leave the foliage to die back naturally. If the foliage is cut back, for the sake of looking tidy, it’ll be unable to photosynthesise and store the energy needed. Simply leave your foliage to die back naturally for about six weeks before cutting it to the ground.’
Watering
‘This bank holiday weekend, the priority for all gardeners, whatever the weather on the actual day, should be to see how your plants are faring with the recent dry weather,’ says GH’s Juliet Sargeant. ‘The best way to test whether they need watering is to do the following: look at the plant itself and see if the leaves are drooping, curling, browning or looking dull, then press your finger into the soil around the base, right down to the knuckle and see if the soil is dry or wet. At this time of year, the plants need a lot of water to make their leaves open, and they can very quickly suffer from drought. If you do water, water generously so the soil is fully wetted. It’s best to water once or twice a week with a good dousing.’
Mowing
‘Mowing the lawn is becoming a regular task for most gardeners now,’ says Matt. ‘Don’t be tempted to go too low too quickly, otherwise you may cause the lawn to yellow and create bare patches. It’s a good time to feed lawns as well, making sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions so to not scorch the grass.’
If you’re considering taking part in the No Mow May campaign, simply stop mowing for one month to allow wildflowers to proliferate. ‘If you want to encourage wildflowers in your lawn, try No Mow May,’ says the RHS. ‘As the name suggests, you simply stop mowing in early May, which allows the wild plants already in your lawn to grow up and flower, adding colour and attracting pollinating insects and other wildlife. You can leave your whole lawn uncut or just a section.’
Sowing seeds
This weekend is the perfect time to sow seeds, says Matt. ‘Seeds will germinate quickly now that it's warmer. These can be directly sown into the garden or in pots on a sunny windowsill. Easy to grow options are sunflowers, marigolds, poppies and Nigella. These will provide a long lasting display of colour and plenty of food for our pollinators.’
Pruning
‘Cut back spring-flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, ribes and rhododendron, as these shrubs will flower on any wood grown this summer,’ advises Matt. ‘Remove any dead, damaged and diseased wood first and then take any branches back to a healthy node by about 20 to 30%. This will encourage growth and flowers, while keeping the flowers lower down for you to enjoy next spring.’
