'Sensation' lilac.
Garden Chores for May
Golden Chain Tree, Laburnum x watereri 'Vossii', lines a path at VanDusen Botanical Gardens.
Design a Veggie Garden - Planting Veggies - Un-potting Plants - Companion Planting
Using Bedding Plants/Annuals - Bedding Plant Designs - Just a Bit of the Top - Container Time - Easy Roses
Bugs - Spring Bulb Care - Pruning - Houseplants & Tropicals - Prepare Beds for Planting - Pollinators
Lawn Care for May - May Arrangement - May Garden Chores - Amanda's Garden Blog - For the Tropical Gardener
Plant of the Month: Handkerchief Tree - Need help?
Using Bedding Plants/Annuals - Bedding Plant Designs - Just a Bit of the Top - Container Time - Easy Roses
Bugs - Spring Bulb Care - Pruning - Houseplants & Tropicals - Prepare Beds for Planting - Pollinators
Lawn Care for May - May Arrangement - May Garden Chores - Amanda's Garden Blog - For the Tropical Gardener
Plant of the Month: Handkerchief Tree - Need help?
Check out my May Garden |
Landscaper Wanted!
Peace Garden Designs is a small, organic, environmentally-focused landscape gardening company operating in the Vancouver area looking for a seasonal full-timer, ideally with 2 years' experience or more. $20+ depending on experience.
Please send your cover letter, resume (CV) and references. To learn more about us and see some of our past projects visit: peacegardendesigns.com. |
May Intro
I've come to appreciate my greenhouse.
Hello Fellow Gardeners,
Although I’ve had a greenhouse for a few years, I haven’t really used it - until this year. I’ve been too leery because it lacks a heater and fan, however, I dislike sharing my kitchen, office and guest bedroom with flats of seedlings. Enough already! There’s just too many seedlings and not enough space, so that greenhouse seemed a logical solution to my dilemma. I am well aware of the difficulties of greenhouse growing since I did work in a few of them when I was in college. Providing the correct environment to ensure good germination and seedling health can be tricky, especially in early spring. Even with balmy daytime temperatures, those nighttime lows dip below freezing. And that is why I have not started seeds in the greenhouse before. Without a heater, thermostat and proper ventilation it would be a nail-biting endeavour. However, our need was great and our greenhouse is a cute little thing, only 6’ by 8’, so armed with a heater and a thermostat, we thought we would give it a go. To be on the safe side and since it was only February, I sowed only cool season crops: lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, chard and peas. The flats were placed on seedling heating mats to encourage root growth, to keep frost at bay and to increase the ambient temperature within the greenhouse. To keep an eye on the temperature, a remote sensor was placed in a dark corner of the greenhouse. It connected wirelessly to a display monitor placed in full view on the kitchen counter. It proved to be a valuable tool. It took the guessing out of what was going on out there just by looking at a display. The heater was an obvious necessity as it is was only February. One really nice feature of the heater was the fan. As spring progressed, it got pretty hot when the sun was out, so popping open the one and only greenhouse vent and turning on the fan, helped cool the place down and provided a nice breeze to prevent diseases. Since there is no power in the greenhouse we had to run an outdoor extension cord from the garage. To be on the safe side the heater and heating mats were plugged into a surge protector, which was located inside greenhouse, away from the weather. In a way, growing seeds in the greenhouse was not just a necessity, it was an experiment. I am happy to say it was a successful one. I have learned a few lessons on the way. The biggest one is that even cool season crops like it above 5 degrees Celsius. Although the heater was on at night, it was so cold outside, it only made it to 5 degrees. So, I cranked up the heater so both elements were on and it rose to a balmy 8 degrees. The seeds responded favorably by germinating. Eureka! It was obvious that the rate of germination and subsequent seedling growth increased with each increased degree. When the nighttime temperatures rose to 10 degrees, the seedlings actually cheered and waved their little seedling leaves with joy. How happy they were to finally be warm. Through this experiment, I have never been more glued to the weather forecasts. Of course I focused on those nighttime lows. The kitchen monitor was the first thing we’d check in the morning as we plugged in the kettle for tea. And yes, there were mornings when donned in my dressing gown and slippers I would run to the greenhouse to check on my wee green babies when we had a frosty night. Thank goodness they don’t offend easily, or else they’d be damaged for life. Oh, and by the way, it’s May and time to get planting. Frost is no longer a threat for most of the northern hemisphere so it is time to get down, and get dirty. Have fun planting and happy gardening. Cheers, Amanda 
Purple Sensation ornamental onion, Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'.
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Amanda's Garden Blog
'Antoinette' bouquet tulip provide a backdrop for some bodaciously shaped river rocks.
Check out my blog and articles on my gardening experiments, trials. tribulations and excursions. Click on the items below to be directed to its page.
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May Garden Stars
Rhododendron 'Fastuosum Flore Pleno', broadleaf evergreen, 6-8’ x 6’-8’, sun to part shade, semi-double lavender flowers in May to June. Zones 7 to 9.
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Tree peony, Paeonia suffruticosa, deciduous woody shrub, 3-5’ x 3-4’, sun to part shade. Zones 5 to 9. Click on the pic for more.
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Variegated weigela, Weigela ‘Florida Variegata’, deciduous shrub, 4-6 ft. tall & wide, full sun to part shade, pink blooms May through June. Attracts hummingbirds. Zones 4 to 8.
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Columbine, Aquilegia vulgaris, herbaceous perennial, 18" - 3ft, sun to part shade. Zones 3 to 8.
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Wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa, herbaceous perennial, 0.50 to 1.50 ft, part sun to shade, summer dormancy, naturalizes. Zones 5 to 8.
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Gladiator flowering onion, Allium 'Gladiator', summer fragrant, flowering bulb, full sun, 44 inches, Zones 4 to 8.
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Jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllym, herbaceous perennial, 1-2’ x 1-1.5’, flowers April to May, part to full shade, moist soils, woodland indigenous North American plant. Zones 4 to 9. Click on the pic for more.
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Red-hot poker, torch lily, Kniphofia uvaria, rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, 3’-4’ x 2’-3, sun. Zones 5 to 9. Click on the pic for more.
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Large camas, Camassia leichtlinii, summer bulb, 3 – 4’ x 1 -2’, blue flowers April, May, Western North American native, sun to part shade, Zones 5 to 9.
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Chocolate vine, Akebia quinata, semi-evergreen vine, 20 – 40’ x 6 -9’, brownish purple fragrant flowers in March to May, finger shaped fruit, shade. Aggressive vine, invasive in Midwestern states. Zones 4 to 8
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Himalayan blue poppy, Mecanopsis baileyi, short-lived herbaceous perennial, 3’ to 4’, dappled shade. Zones 5 to 7.
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Snowflake Doublefile Viburnum, Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Summer Snowflake', deciduous shrub, 5-8 ft x 8 -19 ft. Full sun, part shade. Zones 5 to 8.
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False rock cress, Aubrieta deltoidea, groundcover, evergreen, herbaceous perennial, up to 6", spreading, full sun, part shade, Zones 4 to 9. Click on the pic for more.
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Oriental poppy, Papaver orientale, herbaceous perennial, 15” – 3’ x 1’ -2’, sun. Zones 3 to 8.
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Peaches & Cream honeysuckle, Lonicera, deciduous vine to 5 feet, fragrant flowers attract hummingbirds & bees from May to June, sun to part shade. Zones 4 to 9.
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Sicilian honey garlic, Allium siculum, bulb, flowers late spring to early summer, 4’ x 12 -18”, deer resistant, sun. Zones 5 to 10.
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Deciduous azaleas, Rhododendron cultivars, deciduous shrub, 2 -6’ x 2-5’, orange, yellow, pink, white or white flowers before leaves, some are fragrant. Zones 5 to 9.
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'Candy Stripe', creeping or moss phlox, Phlox subulata, herbaceous perennial groundcover, to 6 inches tall x 2’ spread, full sun, drought tolerant, attracts butterflies. Zones 3 to 9.
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Miss Kim Korean lilac, Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim', deciduous shrub, fragrant, part to full sun, 4 - 8ft x 5 - 7ft, slow growth. Zones 3 to 8.
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Basket of Gold, Aurinia saxatilis, deciduous ground cover, sun, dry, 1 ft x 1.5ft. Zones 4 to 7.
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Mont Blanc deutzia, deciduous shrub, fragrant blooms, attracts bees, butterflies, birds, 4 -5’ tall & wide, sun to dappled shade. Zones 5 to 8.
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May PLANT COMBO
A shade-loving ensemble underneath a tall conifer.
Under a false cypress tree, this east facing garden provides adequate shade and light to accommodate these shade loving perennials. They all like moist, humus rich soil and a thick layer of mulch. The tall green frond-like canopy at the back are one of my favorite shade loving perennials, solomon seal (Polygonatum multiflorum). Below is mauve-pink rhododendron that was initially a cutting about 4 years ago. The white edged foliage plant is a 'Patriot' hosta and the pink flowers on the lower right are bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia 'Rot Blum').
Watering Restrictions start May 1
For Metro Vancouver, B.C.
Water restrictions start May 1 and end October 15. If you don’t live in Metro Vancouver, contact your local municipality for their watering restrictions. Click here to find out what the local restrictions anywhere in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. 
The current water restrictions are more restrictive for lawns, but they are more generous for vegetable and garden beds.
Watering trees, shrubs and flowers is permitted any day, from 1 am - 9 am if using a sprinkler, or any time if hand watering or using drip irrigation. All hoses must have an automatic shut-off device.
Even-numbered addresses: Wed and Sat, 4 to 9 a.m. Odd-numbered addresses: Thurs and Sun, 4 to 9 a.m. Non-residential (businesses) lawn watering schedule: Even-numbered addresses: Mon, 1 to 6 a.m., Fri 4 to 9 am. Odd-numbered addresses: Tues, 1 to 6 a.m., Fri 4 to 9 am plant police
This is a city planting in Leamington Spa, England. The bed surrounded by paving so it's hot and dry; it's certainly not suitable for cool, moisture loving pansies. It would have been more successful if a 3 inch layer of an organic mulch such as chipped fir, had been layered on top of the soil between the plants. The mulch would insulate the soil against the elements keeping it cooler, wetter and would also reduce the many weeds.
DESIGNING A VEGETABLE GARDEN
Make a plan of your veggie garden so you can rotate crops efficiently year to year.
Curly kale and carrots make an attractive combination.
Veggie Tips & Techniques
Tomatoes should be planted at least 2 feet apart.
It just took a few items from the dollar store to make this reusable and quickie trellis. Click on the pic for details.
Un-potting Plants
Newly planted plants often wilt in the heat of the day. Protect them from the sun with a shade cloth like this burlap attached to a folding tomato cage.
Companion Planting
A mixture of crops utilizes every inch of space.
Companion planting is a great way to utilize as much garden space as possible while encouraging healthy growth, deterring insects and improving soil. Beans, peas and other legumes provide nitrogen to nearby crops as they capture nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots. Legumes help feed neighbouring crops such as lettuce, corn and tomatoes.
Root crops partner well with leafy crops (lettuce and onions) and above ground fruiting crops such as peppers. They also mix well with carrots or another root crop. Add a row of bush beans between any of the crops to provide nitrogen. I love the look and the efficiency of combining lettuce, broccoli and kale together. Once a short term crop has been harvested such as radish, lettuce and spinach, plant another crop in the same spot. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, bush beans and bush cucumbers will quickly fill in the space and don’t forget edible flowers such as nasturtiums, calendula. To repel insects consider a band of marigolds. For more on companion planting, crop rotation and succession planting click here. 
Marigolds not only add vibrant colour, they ward off insects, except bees and other pollinators.
Using Bedding Plants/annuals
Love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena, packs a pretty punch when planted en masse.
What are they?
Sweet alyssum, like other annuals, are loaded with flowers. These smell good too and will reflower if they are deadheaded promptly.
Don't Waste Your Money
A six cell pack of impatiens at $3.99. That's only 66 cents a plant.
Select annuals that are just coming into bud and avoid ones that are in full flower or have finished flowering. You want them to be in their prime in your garden not on the store shelf.
Just one 4-inch petunia costs $2.99.
Bedding Plant Designs
A simple but elegant planting of geraniums and dusty millers are massed in geometric beds at Kew Gardens in London.
Designing with colour:
Lay out the garden beds by placing plants on top of the soil while they are still in their pots.
Just a Bit Off the top
To make perennials more compact so they don’t flop over, pinch the tips off the top of each stem. Pinch or cut just above a leaf and soon it will sprout more branches at its tip and along its length. This means more blossoms and a more compact plant. Use this technique for garden phlox, chrysanthemums, asters, veronicas, autumn joy sedums, campanulas and other leggy stemmed perennials.
Cutting back the tip of the stems will promote branching and a stockier plant with more but smaller flowers.
Lawn Care for May
For a healthy lawn and to prevent grubs, set the mower at 2.5 to 3 inches, no lower.
This is the last good month to work on the lawn before it gets too hot and it enters into summer dormancy. As soon as temperatures goes above 24°C (75°F) lawn grass growth declines throughout Canada and the upper top third of the United States. Our grasses are cool season grasses and grow best in spring and fall. So if you still haven’t filled in the patchy spots in your lawn or if you want to replace the entire lawn, do it right away or even better, wait until autumn. For more info on renovating your lawn, click here.
Mow lawns frequently so you don't have to bag the clippings. You'll save on fertilizer too.
Container Time
Red tuberous begonias, geraniums and impatiens are accented by the chartreuse sweet potato vine that surrounds a papyrus.
An addition of blue and white lobelia fancies up a planter with yellow miniature rose.
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May Garden ChoresPlease note that coloured text are linked to another page on this website or another website. Most of the pictures are also linked and will redirect you if you click on them.
It's safe to plant frost tender plants, such as these 'Habanero Orange' chili peppers, during the May long weekend.
Preparing seedlings grown inside plus, geraniums and houseplants get their first taste of the outdoors - for just one hour in the shade, then back inside they go.
Strawberries: Remove flowers on ones that are newly planted, otherwise remove runners so plants will dedicate their energy to produce strawberries. Once fruits form, allow the runners to make new plants.
A leisurely daily garden inspection is just what the doctor ordered.
Vines: Tie new shoots of clematis, wisteria, honeysuckle, climbing roses and other vines as they grow so they don’t ensnare neighbouring plants.
Deadheading a snow-in-summer, Cerastium tomentosum, stops the spread of seeds and tidies up the plant.
Compost: Activate your compost if you haven’t already done so. First turn existing compost, add water if dry, add a green layer (veggie scraps etc.) then a brown layer (torn newspapers or dry leaves), then add more water unless the pile is already soggy. Not composting yet? Compost issues? Learn how here.
Hedges & Topiaries: It is tempting to prune all the new growth on plants grown as topiaries, but it is best to wait until June when the foliage is not so tender. This 'bear' resides at Bear Creek Park, Surrey, BC.
Sow Some Seeds & Take Cuttings
Nasturtiums grow easily and quickly from seeds.
Bugs
When you see aphids, ladybugs are not too far behind.
A floating row cover protects veggie plants from insects.
Spring Bulb Care
Remove spent flowers from tulips and daffodils so they don't go to seed.
Planting bulbs in bulb trays in the fall makes it easier to remove them in spring once their leaves turn yellow.
Pruning
A little light pruning on this 'Snow Day Suprise' pearl bush (Exochorda 'Niagra'), should be done at petal fall.
Best time to Prune
Houseplants & Tropicals
Bromeliads and other tropical plants look forward to vacationing outside for the summer, but do prepare them first.
Loosen potbound roots with your hand or use a knife to cleanly slice the roots.
Prepare beds for planting
Preparing garden beds doesn't need special equipment, but a rake sure comes in handy.
Adding mulch to garden beds provides a wealth of benefits for the plants, the soil and the gardener.
Improving and Planting in Existing Mulched Garden Beds
To add compost etc., to a bed that is already mulched, remove the existing mulch and place on a tarp or wheelbarrow. It’s not necessary to remove it all, just around the existing plants that you want to treat to some compost. It’s not necessary to mix it in but it does improve the soil faster. Replace the mulch, but you might have to add more so it is 3 inches deep. For more about mulch click here. To prevent plants’ from rotting, keep the mulch a few inches from tree trunks and avoid covering plants. For more on improving soil click here. Our Feathered Friends
Birdies are busy raising their young so providing them with food and water is a good thing.
It's a critical time of year for all birds, including hummingbirds. Keep all feeders clean and supplied with seed and nectar. Wash hummingbird feeders before refilling to prevent diseases and don’t forget to align the nectar ports with the perches. Check on them daily as dry feeders make for sad birdies.
Help Pollinators
Carrots, when left in the ground, produce these beautiful flowers that pollinating insects covet.
It's common knowledge that bees and other pollinating insect populations are declining. The reasons are many, including the use of pesticides, herbicides and the reduction of meadows and other wild spaces.
To learn more about growing a pollinator-friendly garden click here. 
A shallow water dish helps bees during summer's heat and drought.
Easy Care Roses Do Exist
'Easy Does It' is a well-named floribunda rose.
Easy Roses: Times have changed when it comes to growing roses. It is a popular belief that roses need a diligent spray program so they don't get black spot, aphids and other ailments, but let me introduce to the many roses that don't need any spraying at all, or pruning. As long as you have 6 hours of sun a day, you can grow roses. Click on Easy Roses for more.
Types of Roses: There are so many different types of roses from Old Garden roses to the new kids on the block. Discover their differences, their assets and their weaknesses by clicking on Rose Types. Climbing Roses: There's a difference between climbers and ramblers. To learn about the many kinds and how to grow them click on Climbing Roses. Grow Roses Successfully: No matter what kind of rose you grow, there is certain information you should know to ensure their happiness, and yours. Click on Growing Roses Successfully for more. Pruning Roses: Learn where to cut and how to ensure more flowers and a healthy plants. Click on Rose Pruning. Portland's International Rose Test Garden: Oodles of pretty pictures of the vast array of roses in this botanical garden are featured. Click here for more. Insects & Diseases: Find out how to keep roses happy and what to do about it when they are not. Click on Common Rose Insects and Diseases for more. Also check out Rose Sawfly and Rose Bloom Balling. 
Meidiland roses are carefree with colours in pink, yellow, white and red.
May Arrangement
May's garden arrangement consists of lilacs and rhododendrons.
For details on the flowers and for more arrangements click here.
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Plant of the month
Handkerchief or Dove Tree
Davidia involucrata
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Common Name: Handkerchief Tree or Dove Tree
Botanical Name: Davidia involucrata Form: upright flowering tree with a broad, pyramidal spreading canopy Family: Nyssaceae Genus: Davidia Species: involucrata Plant Type: deciduous tree Mature Size: 20 to 40 feet height and spread Origin: Southwest China Hardiness Zone: 6 to 8 Foliage: bright green 3-6 inch broadly oval, serrated margins with a heart-shaped base, good orange and red fall colour Flowers: red anthers are surrounded with large, showy floppy white bracts up to 7 inches long Fruit: greenish-brown and round the size of golf balls Exposure: full sun to part shade Soil: organically rich, moist but well-drained, does not like drought Uses: shade tree, specimen, Propagation: seed, hardwood cuttings Pruning: late summer to early autumn Problems: no serious problems Comments: The handkerchief tree is aptly named due to its large white bracted flowers resemble hankies or Kleenex swaying in the breeze. Its other name is Dove Tree, which is a much nicer name. It makes sense as as they do resemble white doves resting on its limbs – when the breeze fails to blow. Despite their flagrantly unusual flowers, they are not a common tree, but when you do see one in flower, it makes a huge impression. The first one I saw was in full blooming mode was VanDusen Botanical Gardens. The white dangling blossoms hung off the branches as though someone had placed them on, one by one. The next time I saw one was at Bear Creek Park in Surrey. It was fortuitous, as I was conducting a plant ID class at the time. The students hadn’t seen anything like it and they were very impressed with such an unusual specimen. This is an easy tree to grow. It has good bones and it makes a good shade tree with its spreading canopy. It rarely needs pruning and isn’t prone to insects and diseases, however it doesn’t like really hot sunny locations nor soil that is too dry. Just one last note. If you decide this tree is for you, just remember when it drops it’s white bracts, that they are indeed flowers on the ground and not hankies! 
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THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX
for the tropical Gardener
While working in Florida as horticultural consultant, it became apparent that there was a need for a book on tropical shrubs. There are so many wonderful shrubs to choose from, so I wrote a reference book to make the selections easier. Ornamental Tropical Shrubs includes pictures in full colour and information about the plants in point form. So if you live in the tropics and subtropics and need a reference book on tropical shrubs, or you just want to have a look-see click here.
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