Citylife in Lichfield May 2023

Your Garden in May
By Byron Lewis
Can you believe we’re already five months into the year? We’ve had
customers asking us for summer bedding plants for weeks now, and
finally it’s about the right time to plant them out. The Garden Centre
is now filling up with lots of traditional favourites. Marigolds, lobelia
and geraniums are great for planting now, and if you've got shadier
spots in the garden, try using fuchsia and impatiens (Busy Lizzy), as
these will thrive both in borders and pots/hanging baskets.
Please take care as it’s still possible we’ll get a late frost… be
prepared to wrap your plants up overnight with some horticultural
fleece. If you’ve got a greenhouse, open the vents and the door
during the day and close up at night to ‘harden off’ your bedding
plants. The frost warning also applies to shrubs like pieris and acers
which can produce lots of tender early growth. This could get
damaged by late frosts so do keep an eye on the weather forecast.
After reports earlier this year of food shortages, many people have
been encouraged to try growing their own for the first time this
year - now is the time to either sow seed or plant out ready
germinated seedlings into the garden. For quick growing crops, try
salad vegetables such as spring onion, radish and beetroot. May is a
great time to set runner bean seeds too - make sure you build your
climbing frame for them before you sow, as they can reach up to 8ft
tall!
One tip when growing vegetables from seed… don’t be tempted to
sow EVERY seed in the packet all at the same time – some seed
packets contain over 500 seeds. No-one needs 500 lettuces in one
go (!), so sow a couple every few weeks for a steady supply of greens
through the summer and into the autumn.
Turning to lawns, it's time to give a weed and feed product to your
lawn. Feeding will help new growth, but if your lawn is thin you can
also re-seed. Use multi-purpose lawn seed, which is generally hard
wearing and mix it with compost, then sprinkle evenly over the thin
area. A word of caution - water the lawn BEFORE sowing, as you can
end up washing all the seed into one area causing thick patches. Also
protect the seed for a few weeks from the birds by getting some
netting over the area.
Let's hope we have a good summer run of weather - it's time to get
gardening!
Byron Lewis runs Lichfield Garden Centre at
Curborough Countryside Centre, Lichfield. Tel: 01543
254306, www.lichfieldgardencentre.co.uk or search for
the centre on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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