May in the Garden

• Leave lots of hints around the house about the Mother’s Day gift you were hoping for—an NHG Gift Card or colorful garden accessories.
• Plant: Caladium bulbs and summer bedding plants such as lantana, marigolds, purslane and zinnia; perennials, herbs,warm-season vegetables.
• Fertilize: Tomatoes, annual flowers and potted plants, and azaleas after blooming.Use root stimulator on all new plantings. Add compost and slow-release fertilizer to new planting beds.
• Vegetables & Herbs: Missyour spring planting of tomatoes? Start seeds outdoors for Fall tomatoes harvest. Plant transplants of eggplant, peppers and okra and direct seed black-eyed peas and okra. May is an excellent time to plant most warm-season herbs such as oregano and thyme. Plant lots of basil for homemade pesto and plenty of mint for mojitos!

• Vegetables: As tomato fruit begins to develop, start feeding tomato plants every two weeks. Use an organic fertilizer such as liquid seaweed. If you planted potatoes in February, continue hilling straw and compost against the stems of potato plants. Harvest snap and sugar peas.

• Landscape: Plant warm-season turf such as St. Augustine Sod and seed Bermuda grass. Plant groundovers, foundation shrubs and shade trees. Plant ‘Knockout’ Roses.
• Pruning & : Prune and fertilize sFeedingpring blooming shrubs such as azaleas, climbing roses and other vines once they’ve finished flowering. Cut down daffodil foliage as it begins to yellow. Dead-head rose bushes add fertilize. Spring-flowering shrubs, vines and climbing roses after they are finished flowering.
• Feed: Apply root-stimulator to all new shrub and tree plantings and apply a top-dressing of mulch to conserve moisture.
• Pest Control: Use Bt (Thuricide) for caterpillars, blast aphids with water and release ladybugs; use horticultural oil or insecticidal soap for thrips, scale, spider mites, and mealy bugs. Spray Neem oil for control of black spot, powdery mildew and other fungal diseases. Use Spinosad to control grasshoppers, aphids, caterpillars and leaf miners in the vegetable garden. Spray liquid seaweed on tomato plants to control spider mites.
• Disease Control: Spray Neem oil for control of black spot, powdery mildew and other fungal diseases.
• Prepare for June: Springcolor such as pansies, geraniums and petunias will begin to wane towards the end of the month. Start planning your change-out of garden beds and containers to heat-loving color such as lantana and fire bush. Plan space and prepare bedsfor planting watermelon and cantaloupe.
• Don’t forget your summer lawnfertilization that should be put down in early June. Mark the calendar to remind yourself to prune and fertilize spring blooming hydrangeas as soon as they finish flowering. Have your irrigation system audited to locate any leaks and ensure proper water delivery before the heat of summer arrives.
• Watering: Be sure to adhere to local watering restrictions. Water established plants deeply and infrequently. Established lawns, shrubs and trees will need a deep watering about once per week. Do not rely on your sprinkler system to adequately water new plantings. Provide supplemental hand watering to new plants several times a week, as needed. Early morning, between 6am-8am is the best time to water. Watering in the evening encourages fungal diseases in your turf, ornamental and vegetable plantings.