Garden centres are set to be the buzz of the social calendar over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend as millions of us embrace this time to be inspired by nature.
We Brits spent more than £1.4bn over this weekend last year in garden centres and DIY stores. Yes, we have all appreciated and learned more from nature’s bountiful therapy space to allow us to feel more connected with our surroundings and experience the wellness of gardening.
When locked down, garden centres and nurseries were a lifeblood, allowing us to escape, be creative, connect and feel more normal and ‘at peace’, as these spaces were allowed to stay open to help encourage the mental and physical health benefits of gardening. So, what better way to start the month than by getting to grips in the garden.
Anyone remember the line, ‘don’t cast a clout ‘til May is out’? Though the saying relates more to wearing chilly short sleeves than gardening gloves, our unpredictable British weather may still catch us out between sunny spells and overnight frosts. Let’s be prepared for summer days spent relaxing.
May is a great time for cutting back voracious vines and plants, such as fruit brambles, blossom, rosemary and rhododendrons – this helps to prevent some from getting too big and straggly, with woody stems at the bottom. If it’s a young plant which has been affected by our late chilly spring, allow the growth to take well before pruning, and feed it regularly. If your garden space is sheltered, you can pop more tender plants outside, otherwise allow to develop first indoors in a sunny spot, by a window.
Turn to page 50 for NBVM tips on how to grow your own vegetables, control garden pests and the best everyday vegetables to grow at home which save money and keep on giving.
Make May the time to:
• Prune hydrangea bushes. Did you know that those leftover coffee granules help make the soil more acidic and may help to turn pink petals blue?
• Sow much-loved, colourful hardy annuals such as cornflowers, calendar and sweet peas.
• Plant early potatoes and thin out any seedlings for a healthy crop of spinach, lettuce and asparagus.