May Gardening Jobs

Jobs for May

The summer’s almost here and the gardening is getting busier!

• Get the lawn cut! You’ll only get stripes if you cut put some work in.
• Don’t forget to beat the hosepipe ban by mulching and saving every last drop of water for the garden.
• You should have started feeding your plants now – use a slow release fertiliser which means you only have to do it the once this summer.
• It’s coming up to hedge cutting time but I’d be wary of being too hard when you can’t water the hedge properly. A light trim of box and yew hedges should be enough but my beech hedge seems to survive most weather challenges. Conifer hedges usually survive very dry conditions.
• Trees are the most vulnerable to drought and you won’t spot problems until it’s too late so give them a few regular buckets of water each week.
• It’s not all work though, as the world’s greatest garden show, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, takes place at the end of the month and the RHS Hampton Court Palace Show is not far away in July, so get your tickets booked now.

Jobs for April

Trees and shrubs: leave well alone now, as these start coming into flower.

Lawns: as the weather warms up you can start cutting the lawn at a high level and carry out any remedial work after all that snow we had in February.

Mulch: keep mulching your borders and top dress plants in containers.

Borders: plant up the borders that you prepared in the winter and start weeding.

Tender plants: it’s still too early to be taking plants out of glasshouses and conservatories so keep looking after them indoors for the time being.

Wildlife: and don’t forget to keep an eye out for wildlife if we get a cold snap before May.

Jobs for March

Trees and shrubs: It may be March but there’s still time to do some pruning and cut back dead wood.

Plant trees: There’s also plenty of time to get some root growth before spring - so it’s still a great month to plant some trees - but avoid using bare root plants at this time of year.

Lawns: Make sure that you keep the lawn clear of any last leaves that will smother and kill the grass.

Mulch: Mulch your borders to retain water and keep down weeds. Try using well-rotted manure, leaf mould or garden compost, and top dress plants in containers. This will trap moisture from any wet weather and prevent beds drying out in the summer heat.

Borders: If you’ve got a patch in need of some major renovation, dig it over now and let the frost break down the soil and manure for you before planting.

Tender plants: It’s too early to be bringing plants out of glasshouse and conservatories so keep looking after them indoors for the time being.

And don’t forget to keep an eye out for your hedgehogs: Especially if they’ve decided to hibernate in your fire pile. Leave some food out for the birds in squirrel proof feeders and out of the reach of the neighbour’s cat.

Jobs for February

There are still a few jobs to be done if you get a chance to go outside. The best job is to dig over the allotment or new borders if the ground allows you to. You can do this quite roughly and then let the frost break down the earth even further so it’ll help your back as much as your plants.

Continue planting bare root trees, roses and hedges and save yourself a fortune on container grown plants. You can transplant shrubs and trees if not too big. I’d also root prune shrubs when moving them, to encourage good fibrous root growth that a transplanted shrubs will need to survive. With other shrubs cut out diseased, dead and damaged wood. Shrubs such as Philadelphus and Leycesteria benefit from pruning out a third of the branches every year.

If there’s a chance of the pond icing up then place a tennis ball in the pond so that you can remove it and keep oxygen getting into the water for your fish. Remove leaves and other debris off lawns to keep the grass healthy and get winter treework completed now – you can get details of recommended tree surgeons from the Arboricultural Association at www.trees.org.uk or from your local authority.

Get ahead for the summer by planning your new garden, ordering seeds and planting early flowers like sweet peas now.

Jobs for January

Contrary to popular myth you can still plant some bulbs now as long as you can dig the soil. Get your bulbs in extra deep to protect them from the cold. They may come up a little later than it says on the box but you should be OK. Summer bulbs like Allium are fine to be planted now.

• You should have finished all your autumn chores now but there are still lots of things to do in the garden to prepare for the new planting season. Finish planting spring bulbs and early summer bulbs such as Alliums; continue planting bare root trees, roses and hedges and save yourself a fortune on container grown plants.
• You can transplant shrubs and trees, if not too big. I’d also root prune shrubs when moving them to encourage good fibrous root growth that a transplanted shrubs will need to survive. This is a great tip if you are changing potted plants. With other shrubs cut out diseased, dead and damaged wood. Shrubs such as Philadelphus and Leycesteria benefit from pruning out a third of the branches every year. Re-pot those shrubs that you have in planters as well. If you are increasing the pot size use a slightly larger pot, never greatly increase the size, and root prune the plant to encourage establishment.
• In the fruit garden you should have finished pruning back fruit bushes and trees; keep ponds covered with netting to catch any last leaf fall. If there’s a chance of the pond icing up, place a tennis ball in the pond, so that you can remove it and keep oxygen getting into the water for your fish.
• Remove leaves off lawns to keep the grass healthy. Get winter tree work completed now – you can get details of recommended tree surgeons from the Arboricultural Association at www.trees.org.uk or from your local authority.
• Get ahead for the summer by planning your new garden now by calling a garden designer.

Jobs for November/December

You should be carrying out all your autumn chores now before the busy Christmas period and winter sets in.

• Finish planting spring bulbs and early summer bulbs such as Alliums – these will look great next year at a fraction of ready grown prices. With the cold winters we are getting I am planting deeper than three times the bulb height so go 4 to 5 times deeper for longer-lasting plants.
• Prune back roses and other shrubs that need controlling now.
• Keep ponds covered with netting to catch leaf fall.
• Finish autumn lawn care such as aeration and top dressing Get winter tree work booked in – you can get details of recommended tree surgeons from the Arboricultural Association at www.trees.org.uk
• It’s a quiet time of year if you’ve no borders to dig so put your feet up and order vegetable and flower seeds for next year.

Jobs for October

Get ahead of the game by starting your autumn chores now!

• Now’s the time to finish planting spring bulbs and early summer bulbs such as Alliums – these will look great next year at a fraction of ready grown prices.
• Keep dead-heading roses for continued flowers but start pruning some of the other shrubs that need controlling now
• In the fruit garden pick late fruiting varieties and start pruning back other varieties
• Cover ponds with netting to catch the leaf fall
• Start autumn lawncare such as aeration and top dressing
• Get quotes for winter treework now – you can get details of recommended tree surgeons from the Arboricultural Association at www.trees.org.uk
• Shrubs – In mid to late autumn you can begin to transplant shrubs. Wait for leaves to drop on deciduous plants first. Prune evergreen hedges and cut out diseased, dead and damaged wood in shrubs

Jobs for September

• We’re at the end of the summer, an early spring and some plants finished flowering in July so there’s already tidying up to do.
• I’m still worrying about another dry spring next year so avoid the worry by mulching and saving every last drop of water for the garden.
• If it’s rained and the lawn is still growing then you need to keep cutting the lawn and plan your autumn lawn care now.
• Trees are the most vulnerable to drought and you won’t spot problems until it’s too late so give them a few regular buckets of bath water each week if it has been dry recently.
• Remember to keep all your annuals and vegetables free of weeds, regularly fed and watered.
• Hold back on cutting hedges and pruning trees now until late October.
• Keep ponds topped up and lay netting over to start to catch the first leaf fall.

Jobs for July/August

Summer is here and it’s going to be busy so keep on top of the garden jobs.

• Beat a hosepipe ban by mulching and saving every last drop of water for the garden. Cut the lawn twice a week if you want stripes, weed and feed.
• Keep cutting the lawn every week and make sure its weed free.
• Remember to keep all your annuals and vegetables free of weeds, regularly fed and watered.
• In the kitchen garden you will be seeing some of the fruits of your labours but remember to sow regularly so that you get later crops and not a glut of one type when you least need it. It’s too late to be planting fruit bushes and trees but you can think about what might be good and order these for autumn planting from nurseries.
• You can still cut hedges but be weary of being too hard when you can’t water the hedge properly. A light trim of box and yew hedges should be enough but my beech hedge seems to survive most weather challenges. Conifer hedges usually survive very dry conditions.
• Trees are the most vulnerable to drought and you won’t spot problems until its too late so give them a few regular buckets of bath water each week.
• Don’t forget to keep ponds topped and fish well fed and oxygenated.

Jobs for June

Summer is here and its the start of the busy gardening season so try and get a head start now.

• Beat the chance of a hosepipe ban by mulching and saving every last drop of water for the garden.
• Cut the lawn regularly, weed and feed.
• You can bring your annuals out now. Remember to keep all your annuals and vegetables free of weeds, regularlyfed and watered.
• In the kitchen garden you will start seeing some of the fruits of your labours but remember to sow regularly so that you get later crops and not a glut of one type when you least need it.
• You can still cut hedges but be weary of being too hard when you can’t water the hedge properly. A light trim of box and yew hedges should be enough but my beech hedge seems to survive most weather challenges. Conifer hedges and established trees like sugar maples usually survive very dry conditions.
• Trees are the most vulnerable to drought and you won’t spot problems until its too late so give them a few regular buckets of bath water each week. That includes the new trees planted in your road.
• Keep ponds topped up and make sure that you keep blanket weed to a minimum with one of the ecological treatments on offer at your local aquatic centre.