MAY IS FINALLY HERE. IT IS A PERFECT TIME TO GET OUTSIDE AND DO SOME GARDENING
As for the month of April, unfortunately, it turned out to be a challenging month for gardeners. April’s weather was up and down. April stayed a little dry for us until around the 20th when we got over an inch of rain and more much-needed rain on the 26th. Also, we had some cold, frosty nights late in the month which played havoc on gardeners who started planting and placing their summer annuals, summer vegetables, and tropical houseplants outdoors. I measured our soil temperature at the end of April and it is sitting in the upper 50s. Over the past few years, I learned to wait until the first of May before starting to plant my vegetables and annual flowers.
HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL GARDENING TIPS FOR MAY
- Right now it is early May—some azaleas are now finished blooming. If needed—and only if needed—you can do a little pruning now on these azaleas. Also, now is the right time to give them a good quality feeding since it took so much of their energy to produce all those flowers.
- Keep an eye on the temperatures—but I think it is safe to move your tropical house plants outside.
- To avoid sunburning the foliage, move your house plants outside in shade first for a few days. Let these plants get used to this new, outdoor environment. After a few days in the shade then you can proceed to move the plants into more sun.
- Hummingbirds have arrived!!! Now is the time to put out a clean hummingbird feeder.
- With May it is safe to plant summer annuals and vegetables.
- As we warm up in May be sure to keep all your flowers and vegetables watered. The best time to water is early morning. This will cut down on evaporation.
- Birds have 5 basic needs: food, water, shelter from hot and cold weather, nesting sites, and protection from predators. Supply these and you will have many more birds around your home.
NOW THAT MAY IS HERE, PLEASE CONSIDER PLANTING MORE NATIVE PLANTS THAT BENEFIT AND SUPPORT OUR BELOVED BEES, BUTTERFLIES, AND BIRDS.
PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!!!!