By Jennifer Fairfield
(Publisher’s note: This is the first of a two-part series. The second part will run on Saturday.)
May is when gardening season kicks into high gear.
Even if you don’t consider yourself a gardener, there are lots of things to do around the yard at this time of year.
Flowers, Trees and Shrubs:
As the soil warms up, it’s time to put down new mulch in your flower beds and around your trees and shrubs. Use a garden fork to fluff old mulch to keep it from compacting – compacted mulch won’t allow water to reach the plant roots – then add new mulch, but not too much.
Yes, there is such a thing as too much mulch – like compacted mulch, it keeps the water and air from reaching plant roots. The total depth of mulch needed depends on the type of mulch you are using. If you are using a fine-textured mulch, such as shredded wood or bark, then 2-to-3 inches is the maximum depth to put on your plants. For coarser wood products such as pine bark nuggets, you can go as deep as 4 inches, but mulches of shredded leaves and grass clippings should be no more than 2-inches deep, as these tend to mat down.
If you didn’t get the opportunity yet to divide summer-blooming perennials that are getting too big for their space or look like they are dying out in the middle, do that early in the month so they have time to get roots down before the summer heat really sets in.
If you don’t have room for all the “new” plants, consider trading with a friend for something they have that you want, or give them away to a new homeowner looking to start their own flower beds. As I’ve mentioned before, the Garden Club is also happy to take donations of plants for their annual plant sale.
Last month, I gave incorrect information about this year’s Chelsea Area Garden Club’s annual sale. The 21st Annual Plant Sale is on Saturday, May 11. Don’t miss it – it’s a great way to get a whole variety of plants, and to help the community. The garden club does a lot of work around the community to make our town even more lovely.
Most annual flowers should be planted out after all danger of frost has passed. If you plant annuals in containers before about mid-month, just be sure that they can be moved into a garage or covered up if frost is in the forecast. Our average date of last frost is around May 15, and we are not really fully sure that we’re not going to get one last blast of overnight frosty temps until around Memorial Day.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs once they have finished flowering. If you prune things like lilacs now, you won’t get any blooms (or you will get far fewer) this year. Pruning forsythia on an annual basis, after bloom time, helps keep them looking good year-after-year. Take off up to one-third of the growth each year to encourage more bushy growth, rather than long, tall branches with few leaves and flowers that occur when these plants aren’t regularly pruned.
Plant new trees and shrubs early in the month, and be sure to water them regularly throughout the spring and summer. The MSU Extension offers great tips for caring for newly planted trees.
