Gardening Tips for May 2024

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• Annuals - Impatiens, Limonium (Statice), Petunias, Salpiglossis sinuata, Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium), Verbena.
• Perennials - Agastache, Astilbe, Dianthus (Carnation), Campanula, Digitalis, Phlox subulata.
• Shrubs - Phygelius, Spiraea, Philadelphus, Pieris, Phlomis fruticosa, Hebe, Lantana, Cestrum elegana.
• Trees - Cornus (Dogwood), Chionanthus (Fringe Tree).
• Vines - Jasminum polyanthum, Clematis, Mandevilla.
• Veggies – Tomatoes, Zucchini, Basil, Cucumber
• Extras - Maxsea Fertilizers, Bamboo Stakes, Bone Meal (one tablespoon in bottom of planting hole for tomatoes) 
• Shopping Tip - Ask your local nursery which days they get the biggest delivery so you can time your shopping for best selection.

• Tips for Growing Vegetables.
• Planting - Prepare flower beds before going shopping for plants. You'll be so happy when you can come home and can install your plants right away. The plants will be happy too! We've all left plants out that died in the heat. Add compost to the soil and apply a 3 inch layer of compost on top as mulch after planting. Mulching keeps soil moist longer. Watch The Gardening Tutor video: Mulch vs. Compost. 
• Warm Season Annuals - For lots of bloom during the hot summer months, plant warm season annuals such as, Cosmos, Lobelia, Calibrachoa (Million Bells-a perennial grown as an annual), Impatiens, Morning Glories, and Zinnias now so they can become established before the heat of summer.
• Tomatoes - Plant tomatoes deeply to encourage lots of roots to hold up the plant. Remove the lower leaves and put 2 or 3 sets of nodes (the bump where the leaf was) underground. Remember to put one tablespoon of bone meal (calcium) in the bottom of the planting hole and mix with soil before placing the tomato. Adding calcium at planting time can keep tomatoes from getting blossom end rot. Uneven watering can encourage blossom end rot.  
• Pest Management - Cutworms, snails, slugs, and earwigs do a lot of damage and can completely destroy small plants overnight. Bait or hand pick, or place protective paper cups around young plants (for cutworms protection). Be consistent. This is a good time to have your large trees inspected by a certified arborist for overall health and possible pest problems. Many plants can show signs of fungal infestations now. First improve the growing conditions but when needed, Neem oil is a pesticide and a fungicide. Careful not to use Neem on young leaves though, they may burn.
• Pruning - Fuchsias: Pinch out the tip set of leaves from fuchsias as the new stems push growth. Repeat each time you see two or three new sets of leaves on a stem. This can be done three or four different times and then stop pinching and let the foliage fill in. This type of tip pruning helps create more branching, which means more fuchsia flowers! The time to prune Lilacs (if needed) is right after the flowers have faded. Usually Lilacs do not need much pruning but pruning off the spent flowers (leaving the buds just below the flower) will encourage even more flowers next year!  
• Mulch - Before you apply a layer of compost as mulch to the garden be sure to wet the soil and after applied, water the compost thoroughly. Most bulk compost is not aged yet and is hot. The watering will help cool it so it doesn't burn plants.
• Bees - Watch The Gardening Tutor Video: Bee Friendly Plants and How to Care for Them.
• When you're ready to learn how to care for your plants  Contact The Gardening Tutor
   

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ALL CONTENT by Mary Frost (no AI).