Coast columnist and ITV’s Love Your Garden presenter Frances Tophill delights in flourishing flora as the weather warms up
And breathe… Summer is here. Well, nearly. I love May. It’s my favourite month. Once and for all we wave goodbye to the cold, and to the uncertainty of spring weather. April showers have come and gone and there is real warmth in the air. It’s true that at this time of the year your coastal garden may be a little slower to break those ‘Darling Buds’ but there is one thing we can all crow over other gardeners about, and that is the fact that there isn’t even the slightest chance of a frost for us by now.
FLOWER SHOW
So our plants are in active growth. This happens when there is a consistent temperature of above five degrees Celsius and means plants can really get a move on.
Everything is beginning to swing into action. In May your garden will do some of its most intense work; setting buds, producing flowers, setting seeds, growing fibrous roots, and fighting for light, while you can have the rare opportunity to sit back and just enjoy the show. Think of May as the calm before the storm. We don’t need to spend every minute watering plants, the green leaves are still bright, the mornings are still crisp and dewy and everything in the garden is at its most alive.
In terms of flowers, for me, May is for bluebells. But you can also find allium, Achillea, poppies, Nigella, periwinkle, lily of the valley, iris, lilac and many, many more. The pastel colours seem to flourish best of all now, adding even more to the gentle, serene nature of this magical month.
WHAT TO DO?
Bring out the bedding. All those pelargoniums you’ve nurtured through the winter can now be brought out into the fresh air. You may want to ease them out by putting them in at night for a week or two. Mow the lawn whenever it needs. It may even be as much as once a week by now. Keep on top of those weeds. Dull as it is, controlling it now will pay dividends in the coming months. Sow broccoli and pumpkins ready for October, and earth up your growing potatoes.
Keep up to date with Frances' monthly coastal gardening column in the magazine or browse more nature stories here.
Growing up on the Kent coast, Frances has the sea in her blood. A presenter on ITV’s Love Your Garden, she studied horticulture at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and is the author of First-Time Gardener (Kyle Books). She now lives on the South Devon coast and works on her own plot and community projects. francestophill.com
