May in your Cool Temperate Garden

Plant trees in late autumn to give your young trees the whole winter to settle in prior to the heat and dryness of summer.

Feed winter and spring flowering annuals. Application of Phostrogen Plant Food every fortnight ensures on-going growth, healthy plants and excellent flowering.

If any shrubs are unsuitably positioned in your garden, transplant them now. Wet them well before moving them, take as much root as possible and re-plant them at the same depth in their new position.
Propagate box by taking semi-hardwood cuttings. By tearing cuttings from the parent plant you can obtain an extended heel and this assists in getting strike. Use Debco Propagation Mix to get the cuttings started. Bottom heat and the use of rooting hormones will assist in root development. By producing large numbers of young plants, you can establish box hedges and topiary very easily.

In frost-free areas, prune late flowering shrubs and foliage display shrubs, e.g. Buddleia davidii, Cotinus coggygria and Lochroma cyaneum, close to ground level to encourage vigorous new growth next spring for summer display.

Prepare soil for onions that will be planted in July by applying lime to the soil. Sow peas and beans directly into the garden for spring crops. In acid soils apply lime and in all soils fertilise the ground well a couple of weeks prior to planting. Once the young seedlings show, water regularly. Apply a dressing of SaturAid to ensure water is used efficiently.

Light Conditions in Winter

During the next few months we will be entering low light conditions. Light becomes restricted during short days in winter. This is made much worse if there is a lot of cloud cover and worse still in green houses particularly if the glass or plastic is dirty. The first week or two after potting is when plants are in greatest danger because the potting mixture is rich with fertiliser. Plants, however, need to use these salts quickly but they will want plenty of sunlight energy to do so. To avoid problems under these conditions it is important not to add further fertilizer or to increase the heat. The latter will cause more release from any controlled release fertiliser in the mixture. The plants will adjust much better if left alone. The only way to overcome this problem in real terms is to use supplementary lighting or carbon dioxide enrichment.