Month by Month Gardening Tips
May
May 10 is our frost-free date. Annual flowers and vegetable plants can be set out now.
Sow seeds of beans, beets, and carrots.
Garden centers and nurseries have the best selection of perennials and groundcovers at this time of year. This is an excellent time of year to plant them.
May is still okay to dig and divide perennials that have already bloomed.
When spring bulbs have finished blooming, have died back and are yellow, bulb tone can be applied. Do not cut green foliage, let it die back.
This is a good time to prune spring flowering shrubs that have finished blooming.
Tender bulbs can go in the ground once the danger of frost has passed.
May is mulch month but do not over do it. Use no more than 3 inches around trees and shrubs. 2 inches is more than enough around perennials.
Houseplants can be put outside. Harden them off by bringing them in each night for a week.
When watering roses, water the soil around them. Damp leaves are more prone to blackspot and other disease problems.
Annuals in pots and baskets require more fertilizer than in-ground plants since nutrients drain out with frequent watering.
You are likely to see ants swarming over your peony buds. They do not harm the plants. They are simply interested in the sugars the buds are secreting.
Hummingbird feeders should be out now. Change the sugar water every 3-4 days.
Keep birdbaths clean and filled with water.
Be sure trellises are installed several inches from walls to allow air circulation.
Paint tool handles with a bright color so you can find them in the grass.
Sow seeds of beans, beets, and carrots.
Garden centers and nurseries have the best selection of perennials and groundcovers at this time of year. This is an excellent time of year to plant them.
May is still okay to dig and divide perennials that have already bloomed.
When spring bulbs have finished blooming, have died back and are yellow, bulb tone can be applied. Do not cut green foliage, let it die back.
This is a good time to prune spring flowering shrubs that have finished blooming.
Tender bulbs can go in the ground once the danger of frost has passed.
May is mulch month but do not over do it. Use no more than 3 inches around trees and shrubs. 2 inches is more than enough around perennials.
Houseplants can be put outside. Harden them off by bringing them in each night for a week.
When watering roses, water the soil around them. Damp leaves are more prone to blackspot and other disease problems.
Annuals in pots and baskets require more fertilizer than in-ground plants since nutrients drain out with frequent watering.
You are likely to see ants swarming over your peony buds. They do not harm the plants. They are simply interested in the sugars the buds are secreting.
Hummingbird feeders should be out now. Change the sugar water every 3-4 days.
Keep birdbaths clean and filled with water.
Be sure trellises are installed several inches from walls to allow air circulation.
Paint tool handles with a bright color so you can find them in the grass.
Native flowers in bloom
Black Raspberry, Black Locust, Eastern Red Columbine, Common Cinquefill, Northern StarFlower, Common Strawberry, Fleabane, Foamflower, Pink Lady's Slipper, Mayapple, Painted Trillium, Common Pawpaw, Wood Geranium, Wood Anemone, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Ramps, Sessile Bellwort, Golden Ragwort. Wild Blue Phlox
Black Raspberry, Black Locust, Eastern Red Columbine, Common Cinquefill, Northern StarFlower, Common Strawberry, Fleabane, Foamflower, Pink Lady's Slipper, Mayapple, Painted Trillium, Common Pawpaw, Wood Geranium, Wood Anemone, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Ramps, Sessile Bellwort, Golden Ragwort. Wild Blue Phlox
Perennials in bloom
Alliums, Ajuga, Dianthus, Fringe leaf bleeding hearts, Amsonia, Baptisia, Brunnera, Catmint, Chives, Geranium, Jacobs ladder, Lamium, Lily of the Valley, Iris, peony, salvia, Sweet Woodruff, Solomons seal, Honeysuckle, Kousa Dogwood
Alliums, Ajuga, Dianthus, Fringe leaf bleeding hearts, Amsonia, Baptisia, Brunnera, Catmint, Chives, Geranium, Jacobs ladder, Lamium, Lily of the Valley, Iris, peony, salvia, Sweet Woodruff, Solomons seal, Honeysuckle, Kousa Dogwood
June
To attract butterflies, include both host plants, where they lay their eggs and nectar plants to provide food for the adults. Good host plants: dill, parsley, marigold, snapdragon, turtlehead, milkweed and clover. Host plants: cosmos, pentas, salvia, catmint, coreopsis, goldenrod, joe pye weed, mountain mint, and bee balm.
When planting new plants do so on cloudy days and keep them well watered over the next 4 to 6 weeks and especially dry times during the remainder of the summer.
Pick weeds when they are young as you do not want them to steal sunlight, nutrition and water from other plants.
Deadhead faded blooms. This neatens the plant, encourages continuing blooms and sometimes lessens the odds of mildew disease.
Some annual flowers such as zinnias, cosmos and larkspur may require stakes later in the season. Stake them now.
Newly planted perennials are still establishing their root systems. Be sure to give them a good soaking once or twice a week.
Potted plants and vines often require a daily soaking until the water drains out of the bottom.
Perennials in pots benefit from more nutrition as the frequent watering leaches nutrients out of the bottom with the drainage.
Pest insects arrive in the garden before beneficial ones.
Be aware! Black flies, often called "gnats" can get exceedingly annoying this month.
Watch for slugs, especially in shady parts of your yard. They chew leaves (usually at night) and leave behind shiny trails of dried slime.
Look for leaf miner activity. These bugs feed between the upper and lower surface of the leaves leaving tunnels through the foliage. Clip off infested leaves and give the plants a good watering. The will push out new foliage.
When planting new plants do so on cloudy days and keep them well watered over the next 4 to 6 weeks and especially dry times during the remainder of the summer.
Pick weeds when they are young as you do not want them to steal sunlight, nutrition and water from other plants.
Deadhead faded blooms. This neatens the plant, encourages continuing blooms and sometimes lessens the odds of mildew disease.
Some annual flowers such as zinnias, cosmos and larkspur may require stakes later in the season. Stake them now.
Newly planted perennials are still establishing their root systems. Be sure to give them a good soaking once or twice a week.
Potted plants and vines often require a daily soaking until the water drains out of the bottom.
Perennials in pots benefit from more nutrition as the frequent watering leaches nutrients out of the bottom with the drainage.
Pest insects arrive in the garden before beneficial ones.
Be aware! Black flies, often called "gnats" can get exceedingly annoying this month.
Watch for slugs, especially in shady parts of your yard. They chew leaves (usually at night) and leave behind shiny trails of dried slime.
Look for leaf miner activity. These bugs feed between the upper and lower surface of the leaves leaving tunnels through the foliage. Clip off infested leaves and give the plants a good watering. The will push out new foliage.
Perennials in bloom
Astilbe, bellflower, black eyed susan, cannas, carnations, catmint, coralbells, coreopsis, daylily, delphinium, echinacea, evening primrose, filipendula, foxglove, gaillardia, hardy geranium, hosta, hydrangea, knautia, lady’s mantle, lamium, lupine, penstemon, red hot poker, rodgersia, roses, rose mallow, scabiosa, shasta daisy, spiderwort, tiger lily, verbascum, veronica, yarrow, yucca.
Astilbe, bellflower, black eyed susan, cannas, carnations, catmint, coralbells, coreopsis, daylily, delphinium, echinacea, evening primrose, filipendula, foxglove, gaillardia, hardy geranium, hosta, hydrangea, knautia, lady’s mantle, lamium, lupine, penstemon, red hot poker, rodgersia, roses, rose mallow, scabiosa, shasta daisy, spiderwort, tiger lily, verbascum, veronica, yarrow, yucca.
July
It is time to enjoy your garden.
Harvest annuals and perennials for use in a vase.
Pinch spent flowers.
Annuals can be clipped if they are getting too long
or leggy.
Stake tall plants that are flopping.
High priority watering is needed for newly planted
perennials, shrubs, or trees.
Monitor your garden for pests.
Weed as necessary.
Prune wisteria if you did not do it in June. Thin out
excess branches. Cut back side shoots to 6”.
Do not fertilize a plant under stress from drought or
extreme heat.
Harvest annuals and perennials for use in a vase.
Pinch spent flowers.
Annuals can be clipped if they are getting too long
or leggy.
Stake tall plants that are flopping.
High priority watering is needed for newly planted
perennials, shrubs, or trees.
Monitor your garden for pests.
Weed as necessary.
Prune wisteria if you did not do it in June. Thin out
excess branches. Cut back side shoots to 6”.
Do not fertilize a plant under stress from drought or
extreme heat.
Perennials in bloom:
agastache, lilies, bee balm, black eyed susan, coreopsis, butterfly weed, gaillardia, lavender, hollyhock, hosta, obedient plant, russian sage, sea holly, shasta daisy, echinacea
agastache, lilies, bee balm, black eyed susan, coreopsis, butterfly weed, gaillardia, lavender, hollyhock, hosta, obedient plant, russian sage, sea holly, shasta daisy, echinacea