Garden in May

Thank you April, hello May. May is the month of great change in the garden. There is something new to see everyday, even if it is the relentless growth of weeds amongst your specimen plants. I always associate the month of May with the flowering of Wisteria. This classic early flowering climber which is predominantly known for its long trailing lilac-blue flowers can grow to 10 metres. A great example of this plants superb flowers can be found at Cannington College (now Bridgwater College) The historic walls of this old Priory are literally smothered with this plant and when I studied there, their use to be a wisteria weekend in May, which I’m sure is still happening and is definitely worth a visit. Plants of interest this month include the Judus tree, bearing mauve/pink pea like flowers which grow straight out of the branches. This great specimen tree is ideal for any garden in our part of the country. More common plants which you will be able to spot along our road sides and coastal spots are Tamarix tetranda (Tamarisk) and Sambucus nigra. (Elderberry)

Things to do this month – In the middle of May and onwards plant out bedding plants, pot grown dahlia and tender exotics. It’s also a good time to clip beech, box and cypress trees. In the vegetable garden sow swede, beetroot peas, Swiss chard, radish, lettuce and spring onions.

Gardening in April

What do gardeners do when the sun shines? Answer - get out and enjoy the garden. The great weather we’ve been experiencing has been magnificent and it is a far cry from the wintry weather 6 weeks ago. Although March is the month that we see the first changes in the garden with the likes of Forsythia, Cherry Blossom and Daffodils in flower; April is the month when everything comes back to life. Blossom from Pear trees and Apple trees is set against a backdrop hazy green deciduous shrubs and trees which are bursting into leaf. April this year will undoubtedly be the month of the Tulip; it is my favourite of all bulbous plants and the mild weather we have been experiencing now will mean that many Tulips will peak towards the end of this month. Of course there are many other plants to look out for this month. The first: Fritillaria Meleagris. This has mauve and white heads with a checkerboard pattern which is why it gets its common name Snakeshead Fritillary. Another beautiful plant to look out for is Viburnum X Burkwoodii. I think it is underrated as an evergreen garden plant; not only does it not get out of hand (growing to about 2 metres in height and spread over 10 years) but it also has beautiful delicate white fragrant flowers at this time of year.

Things to do this month - It’s time to move any evergreen trees and shrubs if desired. It is also not a bad time to feed the grass, treat for moss and weeds and re-seed any bare patches. It’s a busy time in the vegetable garden too; Sow broad beans, brussel sprouts and summer cabbage and don’t forget to water and hoe regularly.

How to…prune a Phormium (New Zealand flax, harakeke and wharariki )

Like many people I always assumed that the only way to prune this beast (Phormium tenax) was to hack down unwanted growth.

However, on a trip to New Zealand the country of origin for this plant I discovered first hand how to prune phormiums. The phormium (new Zealand Flax) is a very sacred plant to the Maori people historically it has and continues to be used for weaving. In fact there is such a thing as the ‘Maori police” The new Zealand flax is so sacred that in one botanical garden which I visited “Maori police” would check on these plants to make sure they had not been pruned incorrectly and often they would supervise the pruning on designated days. Of course here in the UK we don’t need to worry about the plant police, but you may want to follow a similar rule. The general rule is to prune in late spring and remove any dead or damaged leaves all the way to the base. In fact, you will usually find large, linear leaves, each folded into a V-shape with 5-7 shoots on each leaf. To reduce in size remove several of the outer shoots on either side of the main ‘V’ leaf leaving the 3 central shoots. Do this on many of the outer V-shaped leaves as desired all over the Phormium. The same rule can be applied to the species cookianum. Never "top" flax as the leaves will never grow back into a point again.

Things to remember – Phormium tenax can grow very big so why not choose the smaller species ‘cookianum’. In addition to this, if you choose a cookianum, look for a clump forming one as this will be grow slower and smaller. A good example of this is my favourite Phormium, ‘jester’ - which grows no bigger than one metre in size.

Above -A picture of a New Zealand field filled with young Phormium tenax