Citylife in Lichfield May 2021

Your Garden in May
By Byron Lewis
As we enter the month of May, it remains really busy here at the
Garden Centre - some plants are still unavailable, while deliveries to us
are taking a bit longer than usual (lots of stock like our solar lights and
garden tools got stuck on the Suez Canal!).
The weather for April was really cold at times but it was a dry month,
so lots of you have been busy gardening. If you've been planning a new
border or planting scheme, please have a 'plan B' as we may not be able
to get the usual range of plants that we stock - you may need to use a
different variety (or just go with the flow!)
The last of the spring flowering bulbs will soon be coming to an end.
To make the best of them next spring, simply remove the dead heads
and allow the plants to die back naturally. As the stems go brown, the
bulb stores food ready for next year. It’s also worth giving all your bulbs
a feed now – a handful of bonemeal around your clumps of bulbs will
help to bulk them up, giving an even better show next spring.
Tidy up, cut back and weed borders after the long winter we’ve had –
apply fertiliser around shrubs and especially on established plants. Lots
of people forget that older plants need food too. Use a liquid food which
is faster acting as this will help the older plants thrive.
Your lawn is probably ready for a cut (if you’ve not already done it).
Once cut, you can apply a weed and feed product to improve the grass.
If you’ve got a moss problem, apply a specific mosskiller product. This is
stronger than the combined weed and feed product so is more likely to
be successful. Once applied, the iron content in the mosskiller will work
quickly and you can then rake out the dead moss a couple of weeks later.
It’s also worth trying to improve the drainage in your lawn by aerating
it. You can do this using a garden fork and simply stabbing lots of holes
in it. Then fill in the holes with some sand, which will absorb any excess
moisture and hopefully reduce future moss problems.
Finally, start looking to plant your hanging baskets and pots up with
summer colour, but don’t be tempted to put them outside just yet as
they may suffer with cold winds or frost – they can safely be put outside
towards the end of the month. The garden centre will be full of colourful
patio plants so you’ll have a riot of colour this summer!
Byron Lewis runs Lichfield Garden Centre at
Curborough Countryside Centre, Watery Lane,
Lichfield. Tel: 01543 254306.
Visit: www.lichfieldgardencentre.co.uk.
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