May Gardening Guide
May is full spring, and therefore one of the busiest gardening months of the year. And it doesn't last long enough! Before you know it, it's Memorial Day.
So use this month to prepare flowerbeds, plant seeds - indoors and outdoors - and put in new nursery plants.
Also put down new mulch, do some pruning and sprinkle some Preen around, along with fertilizer and soil amendments. You should also check for pests and apply pesticides.
As for the lawn, May is a great time to put down some seed patch, keeping it well watered, and spreading another round of weed-and-feed (except in the seed-patch areas).
And you'll probably be hand-digging at least some dandelions out of the turf and garden.
The great thing is that May weather is usually glorious, except for a few showers. But those are normally quite welcome to gardeners.
Since there is so much to do this month, it makes more sense than ever to decide what's important to you and focus on those activities.
Time-wise, spend the first part of May in preparing flowerbeds and caring for the lawn. If you started these tasks in April and March, so much the better!
Remember the Mother's Day Rule on planting outdoors in May. It's usually safest to wait until after Mother's Day, or until the second half of the month, to plant. It's usually too late by then for a damaging cold snap.
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