Pat’s 10 jobs for May 2025

1. Border irises are really doing their thing now and the show can be brief but make sure to keep the soil around their roots free of weeds so their rhizomes can bake a bit in the sun.

2. Time to Chelsea chop your tall perennials to stop them flopping later or to extend flowering. Good candidates are Phlox, Penstemon, Helianthus, Sedum/Hylotelephium – and I include vigorous Clematis too. You can either do the whole plant at once or just some stems to extend flowering, although it may result in smaller flowers.

3. Deadhead displays of pot plants like Violas to keep them flowering and stop them going to seed. Remember to give them a feed to keep the display going.

4. Clematis are greedy plants and need lots of moisture at the roots so give them a weekly or fortnightly feed and some water until they start flowering.

5. Roses are reaching their peak but keep them deadheaded to enjoy the flowers for weeks to come, and take a few indoors to enjoy in a vase.

6. The soil is warming up and its not too late to directly sow some seeds like sunflowers, Nigella and Limnanthes (the ‘poached egg plant’) now which will germinate quickly. Cosmos and Nasturtiums will get away quickly too. Limnanthes is particularly good for pollinators.

7. Do stake broad beans if you have them by way of four corner canes and string, and pick regularly while small and young before the beans get big and tough.

8. Keep earthing up potatoes which are growing away fast in the current conditions. If they’re in pots, keep covering with compost either bought or your own home made. I use old potting compost from bulbs too.

9. This month sees the beginning of moth flight so be sure to grow things like sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) and evening primrose (Oenothera) to attract them.

10. Turn a patch of your lawn into a wildflower patch by adding a few plug plants, watering well and leaving uncut.

Happy gardening all!

Pat K