![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/04\/YM745S2F82DHB6M6Z4E3R68FXT0S-1024x694.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\nWith the arrival of May comes a reassurance that I love; a time when sub-zero temperatures are banished from the garden and woolly jumpers are packed away. Windowsills and greenhouses heave with tender plants that seem desperate to get outside, stretch and enjoy the passage into summer.<\/p>\n\n
In a sun-drenched border, bearded iris begin to flower, differing greatly in size, colour and scent. From the intoxicating \u2018Blue Shimmer\u2019 and the vibrant \u2018Mer du Sud\u2019, to the charming \u2018Benton Lorna\u2019 and mysterious \u2018Hocus Pocus\u2019, there really is an iris to suit all. These flower alongside the many bulbous perennials appearing now, including the reliable Allium hollandicum <\/em>\u2018Purple Sensation\u2019 and its attractive progeny A. \u2018Purple Rain\u2019. For an alternative colour, try Allium obliquum <\/em>with its neat chartreuse drumsticks. Gladiolus tristis, Muscari latifolium <\/em>and Narcissus <\/em>\u2018W.P. Milner\u2019 complete the picture, alongside bold clumps of <\/span>Euphorbia characias <\/em>subsp. wulfenii <\/em>and the filigree foliage of Ferula communis, <\/em>with its tall, acid-yellow flowers reaching for the sky. Not to be outdone, the shadier corners can be fun too, whether in a border or collection of pots. Here I love to emphasise shape and texture, combining the fine foliage of Adiantum pedatum, Aruncus <\/em>\u2018Kneiffii\u2019 and Hakonechloa macra, <\/em>with the bolder shapes of Arisaema ringens<\/em> and hostas such as \u2018Devon Green\u2019 and \u2018Royal Standard\u2019. Adding further interest, I add detail with choice woodlanders, including Disporum longistylum <\/em>\u2018Night Heron\u2019, Erythronium <\/em>\u2018Joanna\u2019 and Podophyllum versipelle <\/em>\u2018Spotty Dotty\u2019.<\/p>\n\n With the borders expanding and grass growing, May is a good time to redefine lawn edges using a half-moon edging tool to create a sharp line that can easily be trimmed in summer. Tackle any weeds now to prevent spread and water anything newly planted if there is a dry spell. May is about final preparations and the establishment of new additions to the garden, ensuring they prove a success as the year goes on.<\/p>\n\n Seed sowing in the greenhouse has started to slow down, as now many crops can be sown direct into the soil outside. I repeat sowings of salads and roots, such as carrots and radish, to continue the supply, while sowing or planting out tender beans including borlotti, edamame and French.<\/span><\/p>\n\n Summer-loving crops, such as celariac, tomatoes and sweet potatoes, leave the greenhouse and are planted into beds or containers. I like to plant our squashes and pumpkins among sweetcorn, incorporating Amaranthus <\/em>\u2018Autumn Palette\u2019, Persicaria orientalis, Tagetes <\/em>\u2018Cinnabar\u2019 and Tropaeolum majus. <\/em>By summer the patch is full of foliage and colour that gets better as harvest approaches.<\/p>\n\n If space is at a premium, try a tumbling tomato mixed with Tropaeolum minus <\/em>\u2018Ladybird Rose\u2019 and Thai basil. All suited to container growing, they\u2019ll look good all summer while providing something to taste. In the borders, seed-grown antirrhinums, cosmos and scabious are planted to fill gaps, while containers hold nemesias, salvias and verbenas. For foliage fillers, I love to use scented pelargoniums such as \u2018Pink Capricorn\u2019 or the silvery <\/span>Helichrysum microphyllum <\/em>\u2018Silver Mist\u2019 and Plectranthus argentatus. <\/em>Experimentation is key and this year I\u2019m including the cascading Dichondra <\/em>\u2018Silver Falls\u2019, with floriferous perennials such as Verbena <\/em>\u2018Bampton\u2019.<\/p>\n\n If they were sown under glass or fleece this spring, fresh salad leaves, pea shoots and rocket will be ready now. Perennial vegetables, such as asparagus, garlic cress and forced sea kale, can be harvested, taking advantage of the soft new growth.<\/p>\n\n To get super-early potatoes, I like to grow \u2018Swift\u2019 in tubs or sacks, somewhere sheltered and warm (an unheated greenhouse is ideal) where an early March planting can see you harvesting in the latter days of May. Outside of the vegetable garden I\u2019ll forage for wild garlic. Its leaves and flowers make tasty pesto while its seeds can be preserved as delicious \u2018capers\u2019.<\/p>\n\n May brings with it many options when cutting for the house. Classics include lilac, peonies and Viburnum opulus <\/em>\u2018Roseum\u2019. Along with lily of the valley, they can all be grown and cut straight from the borders. <\/span>Use early perennials alongside bulbs for great combinations \u2013 favourites of mine include Geum <\/em>\u2018Mai Tai\u2019 with Camassia quamash. <\/em>But don\u2019t forget the mighty tulip.<\/p>\n\nWhat to sow and plant<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
What to harvest and pick<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n