April’s showers have brought pretty May flowers

April showers have brought us some pretty May flowers, haven’t they? Well, our job as gardeners is to keep them looking pretty! Let’s look at some of the things we need to be doing in and around the garden during the month of May.

Continue planting summer-flowering plants such as gladiolus, canna lilies, caladiums, and dahlias. Planting some every two weeks will give a succession of color to your landscape.

Stay on top of early sprouting weeds before they overtake the garden or flower bed. Hand weeding will prevent many from setting seed that will produce next year’s crop.

Continue to pinch back and deadhead annuals such as petunias, salvia, impatiens, and others to encourage the formation of new branches and thus more flowers.

Watch for aphids on tender new leaves and flower petals. They are always attracted to the youngest growth and often find their way into the young, unfurled leaves and may go unnoticed for some time. A yellowing or wilting of the plant tips may warn of their presence. Fortunately, aphids are relatively easy to control once discovered. Before resorting to insecticides, try washing them away with a strong burst of water.

Edge the entire flower bed or flower garden. It will make a big difference!

In clumps of perennials, pinch back some stems in the front area of the clumps to create a succession of blooms. Do this with tall phlox, bee balm, baptisia, agastache, and other returning perennials.

Begin pinching back fall bloomers such as chrysanthemums, goldenrod, Joe Pye weed, and asters. This causes more branching and more flowers down the road.

Stake tall plants such as hollyhocks, hibiscus, agastache, and foxglove before they really need it.

Add fresh mulch to beds if needed. One to two inches around annuals and perennials on top of existing mulch will be sufficient. No more than three to four inches total mulch is recommended.

If a soil sample has not been taken from your garden within the past two years or so, now is a good time to do it. Ideally, a soil analysis should be undertaken before a fertilization program is implemented. Otherwise, you will be, as they say, “shooting in the dark” when it comes to providing your plants’ nutrient needs. Many perennials, in particular, need little supplemental fertilizer so long as they are planted in good soil.

If the leaves on your crape myrtles and hydrangeas have a grayish coating, you probably have a case of powdery mildew. Try a mixture of four teaspoons of baking soda in one gallon of water on them. Apply this once a week, being sure to cover the tops and undersides of the leaves.

I trust that these tips will help you in your gardening endeavors this month.

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticulture instructor, and former horticulturalist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net and at LewisFarmsNursery.com.

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