The Beauty Of May

May has to be my favourite time of year as the growth in the garden is exponential and the emergence of new foliage is so rapid you could almost watch it. The fern fiddles are unfolding, the apple blossom is in full bloom and there is so much promise for the summer ahead.

The vibrant colours of spring are dwindling but are being replaced with emerging perennials throwing up their flower heads, some flowering now but many are still forming their flower buds for a display later in the summer. Eschscholzia californica self sows around the garden giving a shot of colour here and there; I love it particularly with Nepeta and Salvias nemerosa.

The roses are exquisite this time of year, my favourite in my own garden being ‘Autumn Sunset’ supplied by Coton Manor Nursery two years ago. They are now really hitting their stride and their prolific flowering will continue until late summer as long as I deadhead them but he flowers last for days in a vase this is not exactly a hardship. I cannot forget ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ either with its old English rose flower heads, the perfect pink petals and the heavenly scent. Both these roses are close to areas frequently passed and windows so that the perfume can be appreciated as much as possible.

May is the month for Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ which adds structure and wonderful flower shape contrast to flower spikes like those of Salvia nemerosa and Nepeta. It is always best planted amongst the foliage of other perennials to hide the untidy dying foliage which should be left intact as this promotes energy being taken down into the bulb promoting flowering the following year.

It is also the month for making elderflower cordial and adding a couple of rose tinted flowers of Sambucus nigra to white elderflowers from the hedgerows gives the syrup the perfect rose tint!

May is a month for some deadheading, cutting back and the Chelsea chop. My next job in my garden is to cut back the old flowering stems on my Euphorbias. Next year’s flowering on the following species is very much enhanced if the old flowering stems are cut back right down to their base. This encourages new foliage growth and better flower production in the following year. Please take care though when cutting back Euphorbia; the milky sap can cause very nasty skin rashes so wear protective gloves and long sleeves for this task.

Thank you to all of you who have sent me photographs of your gardens this last month. It gives me so pleasure to know that I have helped to create gardens that you have been enjoying, especially during this difficult time of Covid19.

Images of the month