We are now in the month of May and for many of us Scottish gardeners its finally the time to get into the garden and start preparing for summer. With warmer weather and the lighter nights upon us May is perfect for planting.  This is when the soil warms up and encourages roots to grow and establish. 

The best way to get long lasting colour throughout the summer is to plant Annuals or bedding plants. There is a huge selection available.  If you are looking for bedding for a front border or pots and containers then, French Marigold, Dahlia, Begonia, Geraniums and Antirrhinums (Snap dragons) are among the most reliable and produce an abundance of colour right up until the first frost of the winter.  

It obviously not just your pots that need attention it also time for planting summer hanging baskets. For this job you are best to fill your basket with container & basket compost which has added water retaining granules to help keep your plants moist during those hot summer days.  

With any hanging basket I always think it is best to have mixed selection of trailing annuals to showcase different flower and foliage colours to suit your individual tastes. Some of the best trailing plants include; Surfina Petunia, Bacopa, Fuchsia, Nepeta and Lysimachia, planted together these plants cascade a mass of colour over the side of your baskets all summer long.     

I would also suggest that you have a centre piece for your hanging basket, it adds a bit of height and complements the trailing plants.  Non-stop begonias are perfect for this.  In fact, non-stop begonias are a must for any garden, pot or hanging basket, as the name suggest they flower non stop throughout the summer and perform whether the weather is wet or dry.  A brilliant plant

If you are looking to add some structure to your garden with the added benefit of summer flower there are a selection of hardy plants which are worth considering.  Hydrangea, Roses Lilacs, Peonies and Lavenders all these plants produce beautiful blooms and foliage throughout summer and beyond.

It’s not all about the colour unfortunately, with the weather warming up, there is also down side, those dreaded weeds will be back!  So, May is also perfect for weeding and mulching…. So, you will need to get the fork out and pull out those pesky weeds before they start to take over. Make sure to get all the roots out to give the best chance of keep them at bay. Once you have weeded your beds or borders, I suggest applying a layer of mulch such as bark chipping as this will suppress the weeds growth and also help keep the moisture in the soil.

May is also perfect for pruning, your established plants will be bursting into life making now the ideal time to prune any overgrown shrubs or trees and to cut back any old or damaged growth.  Doing this will help encourage healthy new growth and keep them performing at their very best.

Overall, May is great time for gardening and planting, take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days and set your garden up for a successful growing season ahead.

Please remember, there are no gardening mistakes – only experiments!