Gardening. What to do in May

World Bee Day is being celebrated on 20 May. It was first introduced by the United Nations to highlight and make us aware of the importance of bees in our environment and the consequences we face if they are endangered. The theme for 2022 is “Bee Engaged: Build Back Better For Bees”.

With the increased use of pesticides in agriculture and the home environment, climate change and over population bee populations are declining at a rapid rate. We can contribute to saving bees by planting gardens with bee-attracting flowers, fruit and vegetables and by avoiding uninformed use of pesticides. Pick up a guide with a list of bee friendly plants and activity guides for our children to learn how important bees are.

We are still experiencing lovely weather and autumn is a lovely time to get out into the garden. Rake up fallen leaves from your lawns and add to the compost heap. Try not to sweep up leaves from the garden beds as they work well as a mulch. Sweeping in the beds also removes all the beneficial microbes and bugs that work hard to improve the state of your soil. Clean and trim summer flowering shrubs.

Annuals to plant this month are Antirrhinums, African daisies, Pansies, Stocks. Stocks are at their most fragrant at night, so plant them under a window to enjoy the scent wafting in. Autumn and winter is a time to plant a host of interesting vegetables like peas, cabbages, carrots, Swiss chard, turnips.
With cooler weather be aware that plants will be requiring a little less water.

Garden design tip- create interest and an illusion of secrecy by masking parts of the garden with taller shrubs, or laying a pathway that curves slightly out of sight. Hide a bench in a shady enclosure and set up a splashing water feature to encourage exploration.

Starke Ayres Garden Centre Rosebank I 021 685 4120/1
Starke Ayres Garden Centre Sunningdale I 021 554 8450/1