What to do in the garden in May? Spring is in full bloom now with trees full of blossom, roses coming into flower, and traditional cottage garden plants in full growth, so May is a wonderful month to get outside and appreciate your garden. Prune winter and spring flowering Clematis such as Winter Beauty and Clematis armandii now and prune spring flowering shrubs such as Honeysuckle ‘Winter Beauty’ and Forsythia after flowering has finished.
Start to feed your container plants with a balanced fertiliser and harden off your half-hardy bedding plants by leaving them outside for the day (not forgetting to bring them in at night). Harden off dahlias and tender exotics such as Canna for planting as soon as the risk of frost has passed. Plant out spring bedding towards the end of the month once all risk of frost has passed. Take care in colder areas where it’s best to wait until June.