THE GARDEN

The clear sunny days of May are invigorating, but late frosts that come with clear night skies are the bane of all gardeners. Check with knowledgeable gardeners when your district can expect the last frost. In the south we are normally free of frosts by the third week in May, while further north it may be early June before they are finished.

Check under the leaves of roses and other shrubs for the first influx of greenfly. Warm days and light winds will help them migrate from neighbourhood gardens easily. To prevent the population from getting out of control, spray with a suitable treatment as soon as they are noticed. Roses are also very susceptible to diseases such as mildew and blackspot therefore it is wise to spray these plants with a dual-action product such as RoseClear 3 or RoseClear Gun! that will protect the plants against aphids and diseases at the same time.

This year there is a new larger size of RoseClear Gun! on the market that will suit people who can't be bothered to mix up concentrates yet have more than a few plants to treat. The 3L bottle of RoseClear Gun! is very convenient, easy to carry and use. It is ideal for both spot treatment and spraying larger areas. And because it is ready to use, you don't need to worry about measuring and mixing. Included with the 3L RoseClear Gun! (expect to pay £9.99) is a 1 metre long-reach hose and trigger, which allows you to reach difficult spots easily.

Plant out hardy flower seedlings such as sweet peas where they are to flower. Enrich the soil with a dressing of a slow-release plant food such as Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed so that the plants are fed slowly and surely over the next three months. Plant sweet peas close to the base of poles or canes erected to form a wigwam shape or in straight rows. Pinch out the tips of the sweet pea seedlings so that a stronger side shoot is encouraged.

Slugs and snails are always a danger to plants when they are at the seedling stage. To protect your valuable plants scatter SlugClear Advanced Pellets lightly between the plants. Some pet owners prefer not to use metaldehyde pellets in their garden in case inquisitive dogs pick up and eat the bait. However if you have concerns, use SlugClear, a liquid product that is watered onto plants and onto the soil so it leaves no visible residue. The solution goes into the soil reaching the slugs that are hiding underground.

Now is the time for rhododendrons, azaleas and other shrubs to be throwing up new shoots to carry next years blooms. If you have soils that are neutral or tend towards the alkaline side of the pH scale then now is the time to correct that imbalance. There are various methods for providing the necessary food and the special iron that ericaceous plants need to thrive. If you prefer to sprinkle dry granules around the base of each plant then choose Levington Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron 'Plus'. If you are happy to feed regularly every fortnight through a watering can then use Miracid, Miracle-Gro Ericacous Plant Food or Levington Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron Liquid Plant Food. If you just want to cure iron deficiency then one application of Sequestrene Granules lasts all season, but your plant may go hungry.

Plant late summer flowering perennials such as Rudbeckia, Helenium and Gallardia ready to supply spectacular warm yellow and orange flowers right through until the autumn. They will need staking and feeding occasionally with Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food to make full growth.

Prepare flower beds that will be planted out with tender bedding at the end of the month. First kill off the weeds that have germinated using Weedol or the ready-to-use Weedol Gun! In a couple of days these annual weeds will start to show signs of dying, the leaves will gradually bleach and start to wilt dramatically. Now you can safely dig in these weeds knowing that they won't pop up again. Before planting enrich the soil with Miracle-Gro Shake & Feed, a slow release plant food that will provide your flowers with all the nutrients they need for a magnificent display.

ON THE PATIO AND CONTAINERS

Plant up patio containers and hanging baskets with bedding plants during May so they can get established before being placed in their final flowering positions. These few weeks of hardening off will ensure you can easily protect them from night frosts with sheets of paper or horticultural fleece.

When planting containers use a potting compost that contains extra water-retaining material such as Levington Container & Hanging Basket Compost so that drying out is less of a problem. As with most quality composts it will contain enough balanced nutrients to last about six weeks of rapid plant growth. After then regular additional feeds are needed if the plants are to continue flowering and growing until the autumn. Feeding every couple of weeks with Miracle-Gro Water-Soluble Plant Food or Tomorite will ensure good growth or you can incorporate some controlled release plant food that will feed the container for at least six months if the special granules are added into the compost before planting. Adding the required amount of Miracle-Gro or Osmocote Controlled Release Plant Food is the smart, time-saving way to ensure top quality colour, improved flowering and better plant growth.

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FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

VEGETABLES
About the middle of the month sow French and runner beans where they are to grow and crop. Prepare the soil by incorporating plenty of organic matter below the surface. You can use well rotted garden compost, Levington Farmyard Manure or Levington Soil Improver & Mulch. All will improve the water and nutrient holding capacity of your soil for this year, and improve the structure for several years to come.

Successional sowings of beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, peas and turnips will provide plenty of tasty summer vegetables. Keep weeds down between the rows to minimise the competition for soil moisture and nutrients. Be careful with the hoe as vigorous action can damage the roots of the crop as well as the weeds. Hand weeding is probably the only safe method of weeding close up to the base of each plant, but most of the work between rows can be left to Weedol if you are careful with its application through a dribble bar.

At the end of the month sow seeds of marrow, swede and sweet corn where they are to crop. Plant out tomato plants in a sunny spot when all danger of frosts is over in your area. Cordon tomato varieties such as Alicante, Sungold and Gardener's Delight need side shoots removed whenever they appear. Watch out for the side shoot just below a fruit truss - that is the most vigorous one. Stake as early as possible with a 1.5m (5ft) cane so the stem can be tied in loosely at regular intervals. Bush varieties such as Tiny Tim, The Amateur and Alfresco don't need staking or pinching out, but to keep slugs and dirt away from the low lying fruit it is best to lay straw or plastic sheeting around the plants.

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FRUIT
Keep weeds under control around the stems of apples, pears and soft fruit such as raspberries and loganberries. Hoeing is possible around trees, although the shallow roots of gooseberries and raspberries can be damaged by this method of weed control. Instead it is safer to use Weedol or Weedol Gun! around bush fruit.

Greenfly on blackcurrants can be very harmful as they twist and disfigure leaves and spread virus diseases. As soon as the first aphid is seen spray with a natural insecticide such as Nature's Answer Natural Pest Control.

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IN THE GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY

Tomatoes, peppers and aubergines can be planted in fresh Levington Gro-Bags at the beginning of the month. There are few growing bags that can beat the original when it comes down to quality results year after year. A high level of balanced plant nutrients, plenty of trace elements and a special wetting agent mean that imitations usually come a poor second in producing the goods. This is one commodity where you usually get what you pay for.

Fuchsias and other decorative plants that are vulnerable to attack by aphids and whitefly are best grown in Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control. This contains a systemic insecticide that gives internal protection against aphids for 3 months and useful control of whitefly too. Pot up cuttings using this compost to give them a plentiful supply of nutrients and in-built insect control.

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THE LAWN

Long days and mild evenings see the start of the barbecue season and the time when the lawn needs to be in tip-top condition for family and friends. If you have given your lawn one triple-action treatment already this spring then all it should need to maintain strong, healthy growth is a simple lawn feed.

Providing the lawn with enough nutrients to match the spurt of growth that warm spring weather encourages will see that the grass remains a good colour. At this time of the year when showers are a regular occurrence, apply a granular feed that will release nutrients over the next several weeks. Scotts Lawn Builder and EverGreen Lawn Food contain nutrients that give long-lasting results. In just a week you will notice the colour of the grass improve and growth become even more vigorous. The remaining nutrients are released gradually over the next six weeks so the lawn maintains a good colour and gradually becomes thicker.

Apply the granules evenly either by hand or through a wheeled spreader. A spreader is a good investment even if you have the average sized lawn of 80 sq. metres as you should be treating your lawn at least three times a year. Choose an adjustable drop spreader for flexibility and durability. The Scotts EvenGreen Drop spreader is a precision that is highly durable, has an on/off trigger and an accurate 45cm (18") spread. After a couple of days water in the granules so that the nutrients get down to root level as quickly as possible.

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ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. USE PESTICIDES SAFELY
BugClear™ and BugClear Gun!™ contain bifenthrin. FungusClear™ and FungusClear Gun!™ contain penconazole. RoundupGC, Roundup Ultra 3000, Roundup Tough Weedkiller Ready to Use and Tumbleweed Original Extra Strong Gel contain glyphosate. Roseclear® 2 contains bupirimate, pirimicarb and triforine. RoseClear® Gun!™ contains bifenthrin and flutriafol. SlugClear™ Mini Pellets contain metaldehyde. Spotless® contains carbendazim. Verdone® Extra contains fluroxypyr, clopyralid and MCPA. Weedol® contains diquat and paraquat. Weedol® Gun!™ contains diquat.

®, ™, Miracle-Gro, and Scotts are trade marks of The Scotts Company or its affiliates. Roundup is the registered Trade Mark of Monsanto Company.

GARDENING INFORMATION FROM The Scotts Company (UK) Limited

WRITTEN BY JOHN CLOWES

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