May In The Garden
Here is a to-do list for May well suited to our zone -
7a and colder.
- Finish pruning roses and cutting back any winter die back on other shrubs and trees. Prune hydrangeas, wisteria and clematis as necessary.
- Assess what looks good and what experienced winter stress, or hasn’t come back at all this season. Make note of any gaps in the garden and start your wish list of plant options to fill them.
- Weed. Spring’s moist soil allows weeds to be pulled more easily. Take advantage of it!
- Add compost and well-aged manure and work into the topsoil.
- Fertilize using products and blends appropriate for each plant.
- Top it all off with untreated mulch or consider planting companion groundcover to help retain moisture through the hot, dry summer months.
- Be mindful of unwelcome visitors that enjoy roses too. Address any pest issues using methods that best suit your gardening philosophy.
Perfectly Imperfect
Spring leads to dreams of quiet summer days filled with beautiful blooms and strolls through the garden, with stops to smell the roses, of course! Creating a place you enjoy takes some time and effort, but it’s certainly worth it! Letting go of perfection and leaving room for change is key.
Start small. Break your garden up into sections and work at each one as your time and energy allow. This might all happen in one season, but it may unfold over several years. Even if your goal is a complete overhaul of an existing garden, working in smaller sections allows you to celebrate small victories of accomplishment along the way.
Plan where the big things will go. Trees, shrubs, climbing roses or other large shrub roses are not easy to move once they are settled and established. Choose your focal points and let the rest of the garden grow from there.
It’s ok to change your mind! Many perennials can be dug up and transplanted if you revise your design or you need to divide and separate a plant as it spreads.
Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities. They can be some of the best teachers a gardener can have. A plant that struggled in one spot often flourishes when moved to another. A loss in the garden, whether from soil that wasn't quite right, watering that wasn't quite deep enough, a little too much shade or a little too much sun, is simply information for next time. Every experienced gardener has a story or two about something that didn't go as planned, and most of them will tell you those moments taught them more than the easy successes ever did.
A garden is alive and grows along with you. Holding a perspective that allows for change is what enables you to truly enjoy what you have in each moment.
"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments."
Janet Kilburn Phillips
