We know, we know - your gardening to-do list is already longer than you are tall. May is a frantically busy month. We're loath to add to your list but... There's one job you may have overlooked. And it's really worth remembering it, because your future self will thank you when it repays the effort several times over.
If you want vibrant flowers next year, now's the perfect time to give specific varieties more attention. In particular, gardening expert Ish (@gardening.with.ish) singles out camellias.
‘When your camellia stops flowering, it becomes the most crucial time to do any maintenance jobs,’ says the TikTok creator. This means taking action, typically, in April or early May before new summer buds form. Take a sharp, clean tool and remove all dead, diseased, or crossing branches.
Your camellia, says Ish: ‘doesn't want any cutting or pruning at the end of the summer or wintertime like most of your other plants, because throughout the course of the year, what this is actually doing is developing new buds ready for next year's flowers.’
So tempting as it may be, don't deadhead your camellias. ‘If you chop this all back at the end of summer, chances are you're going to ruin the display next year, and no one wants that,’ he warns. Resist, and the flowers will fall away naturally.
Instead, remember to keep watering. ‘A lot of people think because it's done, it doesn't need a good watering,’ says Ish. But if you keep coming back with the hose: ‘next year, you should end up with an even more gorgeous display than you did this year. Not too difficult, ey?’
