Iris and Rose – two ladies in need of attention! Gardening tips for May

May’s weather can be unpredictable, and never more so than this year!  No idea what we’re going to get next – must be a nightmare for those preparing Chelsea gardens.  

We can’t lounge about and blame the climate though – there’s plenty to do such as making sure the roses are looking their best, considering some garden ornaments, and planting some South African bulbs for summer colour……..

Inspiring irises

I am such a sucker for an iris.  Their exquisite form (both foliage and blooms) and their uniquely huge range of flower-colours makes me forgive their ugly ‘burst balloon’ way of dying every time.  I’m lucky enough to have the alkaline, free-draining sunny soil in which they revel.  If you are buying new irises, remember that their rhizomes must be planted shallowly in sun and preferably poor soil.  

They have the rather bizarre habit of creating a new rhizome each year attached to the old one, and you’ll find that flowering stems will gradually dwindle if you don’t dig the clump up every three years or so after flowering. Split off the old rhizomes and replant the newest sections to enjoy a baking through the summer. If you trim off the fan of leaves as you replant them, it will reduce the chance that windrock will pull the shallow roots out of the ground as they establish.

Sculptural beauty

I was lucky enough to go to a preview of the stupendous Henry Moore exhibition at Kew last week.  There was something quite moving to see those monumental sculptures amongst the magnificent trees of Kew gardens.  The dramatic juxtaposition of texture and structure enhanced both, and it reminded me that almost every garden can be ‘drawn together’ by a thoughtful use of hard materials, statuary, walls and other ornamentation.  They give more definition to the space and provide focal points and personality to the planted space. 

Okay, so I get that scale and style are both possible issues here! Megalithic Henry Moore sculptures could look a little odd amongst your bedding plants in much the same way as a small trinkling water feature would not sit right in the midst of Kew’s iconic arboretum.  But I urge you to find and position something ornamental among your plants that will reflect your individuality and add atmosphere and a greater sense of place. Gnomes are now allowed at Chelsea – just saying!

Rose care in late spring

It looks like it’s going to be a good year for the roses, doesn’t it 😊.  Much like the splendid rhododendron show that there’s been this year, the roses have apparently revelled in the wet winter, and are now beginning to flower with glorious abandon.  

But you can still help them to ‘fulfil their potential’, as your school report used to say.  Aphids find new rose shoots and buds irresistible – a regular check over is the best way to prevent a bad infestation.  Brush them off with your finger or a jet of water.  While you’re doing that, check for any leaves that bear the telltale yellowing or black marks of black spot.  

Pick them off to prevent the disease spreading, but don’t put those leaves on the compost heap.  Lastly, take off any dead flowers of repeat-flowering roses, preferably snipping back to a pair of leaflets from which a new shoot and bud will develop.

Gardening shorts

• As I mentioned in the intro, the weather has been very tricky and erratic for many of us.  Laura had -3 in her mid-Sussex garden last night! And we had hot sunshine this morning, and hailstones the size of marbles this afternoon….I’ve already started hardening off my tender plants ready to plant them into the garden soon, but there is no way yet that Laura or Caroline can start doing the same.  Laura has found her Max/Min thermometer an absolutely invaluable guide in helping her decide how to manage these plants.  We sell them in our online shop and I can assure you that the info they give you is always interesting, even if you are not worrying about when to wheel out your lemon trees.

• Eucomis are very handsome plants with topknots of foliage and beautifully-marked spikes of flower. They are tender and best planted in pots of rich but free-draining compost now, with their snouts just visible above the surface.  Soak them with water once a week with some added liquid fertiliser throughout the flowering season. Stop watering in autumn and bring them into a sheltered frost-free place for the winter.  They won’t need water again until next April.

• Check your onions!  If you find any thick upright-growing stalks with a little bobble on top, these are flower-stalks and will drain the energy from the developing bulbs.  Snip these off as low as you can without damaging the foliage.

• It’s peony time – hurray! – but the flowerheads of many of them are large and heavy, so make sure those supports are in place, to keep the display looking perfect, even when it rains.

• A quick message – we’ll all be swanning around at Chelsea next Saturday, so this is the one week of the year when our newsletter will arrive in your inbox on SUNDAY.

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It’s pretty as a picture and smells fab! This pretty little rose is as tough as they come and is one of Louise’s absolute favourites for May. Click on the pic and find out why:

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Find out more about that great little max/min thermometer that Laura is finding so incredibly useful at the moment:

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It’s the third week in May – Chelsea! And there’s no better time to do a Chelsea Chop on some of your perennials. Watch this short video to see how the3Growbags will all be doing it in various ways…

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You could be going to Gardeners’ World Live for free this year! Yes we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away for this show on 21 June, worth over £60! Just answer one simple question and they could be yours! Enter here

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