May gardening jobs you to try this bank holiday weekend

South Wales Argus

23-05-2025

Summer is just around the corner but fear not, there is still time left to get your garden in tip-top shape, especially over the bank holiday weekend towards the end of the month.
Just one useful outdoor job to get stuck into is planting your summer bedding flowers (such as Dichondra 'Silver Falls'), according to The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Not to mention, now is the ideal time of year to lift any overcrowded spring bulbs, including daffodils, so they are ready for next spring.
Best flowers to plant in spring
The RHS explains: 'As bulbs fade and herbaceous borders grow in leaps and bounds, it is now clear that summer is approaching.
'Sowing and planting out bedding can begin, depending on when the last frost is in your area, and you can take softwood cuttings.
'It's also time to let the lawn grow long and get a buzz from seeing all the insects that arrive to feed on the flowers.'
Take a look at more May gardening jobs on the RHS website.
What is the best thing to plant in May?
Plant summer bedding flowers
The RHS says: 'Plant out summer bedding at the end of the month (except in cold areas).'
@rhshome
She may not know how to install windows—but Becky always knows what needs doing in the garden. May is a busy month in the garden, with everything growing fast and plenty to keep on top of. It's tempting to get ahead, but a little patience now will pay off later. Here are your gardening jobs for May: 🌼 Move bulbs from containers into borders so they can recharge and make room for summer planting 🌼 Prune early-flowering shrubs once they've finished their show to keep them healthy and well-shaped for next year 🌼 Keep an eye on the forecast, the sun is out now but late frosts can still catch you out. Make sure tender plants are hardened off before planting 🌼 Give houseplants a quick health check, wipe off any aphids or scale insects before they multiply 🌼 Taking part in No Mow May? Try mowing edges or paths through longer grass, it's a great way to support wildlife and still keep things looking neat ♬ original sound - selena culture
'Bedding plants provide a temporary decorative seasonal display for containers, hanging baskets, beds and borders.'
For containers around garden lawns and patios, The RHS recommends these top five summer bedding plants:
Verbena 'Claret'
Dichondra 'Silver Falls'
Calibrachoa Million Bells series
Petunia Surfinia series
Salvia x jamensis 'Raspberry Royale'
Lift and divide overcrowded spring bulbs
'Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs," states The RHS.
It adds: 'Clump-forming bulbs can become congested over time, which can reduce flowering. Divide the clumps every few years to keep them vigorous and flowering well.'
How to Get Rid of These Common Garden Pests
Check for viburnum beetle – what is it?
The RHS advises checking for viburnum beetle in May for any larvae that have appeared in spring.
It explains: 'Viburnum beetle feeds on viburnums. Most of the damage is caused by the larvae in spring but some further defoliation is done by the adult beetles in late summer.
'Large numbers of larvae can result in most of the foliage being severely affected by late spring. Damaged leaves are often also discoloured with brown dried up edges to the holes. Affected Viburnum tinus often produces an unpleasant odour particularly when the foliage is wet.'
How to get rid of viburnum beetle
If you do spot viburnum beetle on your plants or lily beetle grubs, try to remove by hand if causing damage, The RHS reveals.
The gardening experts also recommend:
Encouraging wildlife in the garden - such as birds and predatory ground beetles who will eat the larvae and sometimes the adult beetles
Biological control nematodes - available from some biological control suppliers. These are watered onto plants affected by larvae. Nematode controls have the potential to infect non-target animals. They should therefore be used with care and only when there is a specific problem to treat
Have you got birds nesting in your hedges? (Image: Thomas Söllner/Getty) Can I cut my hedge when birds are nesting?
Check for nesting birds in hedges
By now, you are probably noticing more and more birds appearing in your garden, as the warmer weather arrives.
However, this month you should take extra care if you need to cut back garden hedges.
But The RHS warns: 'Check carefully for nesting birds before clipping hedges.
'When undertaking work on garden hedges, check first that there are no nesting birds, as it is an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.
'The nesting season is usually considered to run from March to August, but it can be longer.'
With this in mind, the RSPB recommends not cutting your hedges between March and September as this is when the 'possibility of birds nesting is very high'.
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The wildlife experts explain: 'Many small garden birds, such as Robins and Wrens, choose to nest within a few metres off the ground where hedges can offer a good coverage of greenery and leaves.
'You may well see birds darting to and from the hedgerow, taking in nesting material such as moss and small twigs. And it's not just hedges.
'Birds also build nests in the trees, shrubs and climbers in our gardens. This vegetation is a lifeline for the birds: it provides a foundation on which their nests will rest, protects their eggs and chicks from wind, rain and sun, and helps hide them from predators.'