May 2024 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,  April sure has been interesting. We’ve had winter, spring, summer and fall weather all in one month. Nature is so confused and so are we! What to do in the garden and when to do it is a daily decision. Patience is still the best advice. The following are some Garden Tips.        -Wet soil is the key to some of those decisions. If your soil is still wet and clumpy it’s best to wait to divide and replant as the wet clumpy soil won’t settle around the roots properly. That can change with the weather and the amount of moisture your soil retains. There have been a few days when I did some dividing. Just use your good judgement.   Weeding is also best done when the soil is not very wet. It’s harder to get all the roots out of the soil when it is a clump of mud. Mowing is another issue in this wet weather. If you leave a footprint on the lawn it’s best to stay off. Just think of the tracks your riding lawnmower (if you have one) will make in the soft soil. Unless your grass is long enough to leave big piles of grass clippings, it’s best to leave the clippings on the grass. It will decompose, feed the grass, and not cause thatch. It’s much too soon to put out annuals or vegetable starts.  For example, tomatoes planted too soon don’t do as well as those planted at the end of May. Remember Patience! The final average frost isn’t until late May so don’t get fooled by a few warm days. Due to the fluctuating temps many perennials are up early. Be careful when you are working in your gardens as there are a lot of plants that aren’t up yet and stepping on one or digging a shovel into the crown are things you want to avoid. If you are tempted and purchase plants that can’t be planted now, keep them in a sheltered place. If the annuals are in flats spread them out so there is good air circulation. Storing them crowded in a flat invites fungal disease.  Once the soil warms and is workable May is an ideal time to divide or move perennials already in your gardens. Signs they need dividing are: overcrowding, lower bloom the previous season, and if plant has a bare spot in the center known as the donut hole. If after 3 years in a location a plant isn’t thriving, try moving it to a more suitable spot or share it with a friend. If you have problems with deer, rabbits and other critters start your spraying, fencing, caging or whatever you do. I’ve already had damage and quickly put up some caging and got out the deer spray. Since the plants are growing fast now, I spray susceptible plants every week until they reach full size then cut back to every 3-4 weeks. It’s a battle! When buying plants look for ones that are deer resistant. There are many excellent lists online including the one from Cornell below: warren.cce.cornell.edu › gardening-landscape › deer-resistant-plants RECYCLE pots & trays. I can use pots 4 inches and up and flat carrying trays. No 6 packs. Also, if you are discarding any Venetian blinds or see some in the garbage, please save them for me. I use the blinds for price tags for the plant sale. When plant shopping look for resistant plants. Ther are tomato plants resistant to blight, Phlox resistant to powdery mildew & roses resistant to black spot to mention a few. When looking for native plants be sure to look for the species name in Latin. If there is an English name (usually in parenthesis) after the name that means it’s a cultivar and may not produce the nectar, pollen and seed that pollinators and birds need. An example is Echinacea purpures, “Autumn Sunset”. The more we ask for true natives the more nurseries will offer them.   Now is the time to make changes and improvements in your garden. I can help improve your garden and gardening practices and guarantee to save you time and money. Contact me for an onsite consultation. Also check out my website for past Garden Tips and articles: lessonsfromnature.biz. Upcoming Plant Sales & Events: Put them on your calendar now!   Lessons from Nature and Amanda’s Native Garden and Perennial Plant Sale. Saturday, May 18th, 9:00 – 2:00.  170 Pine St., E Aurora, corner of Pine & Lawrence.   Clients and those of you who get my tips can come at 8:00 and beat the rush. We will have a larger variety of native plants on that one day than anywhere in WNY.  All plants are dug fresh from my garden and those from Amanda’s Native Garden are started from seed by Ellen Folts, the owner. Check out her website for availability. Ellen will take orders and deliver them the day of the sale.   I’ve been busily potting up when the weather has permitted. This is looking to be a bumper year for the plant sale. A list of available plants will be emailed the week before the sale. Note: all my plants will be root washed and potted in soilless potting mix due to the threat of the Asian jumping worm. If you’re not aware of this threat, you can get information at: http://ulster.cce.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-pests/jumping-worm   Master Gardener Plant Sale, Friday May 24, 8:30 – 3:00, Saturday May 275, 8:30 – 2:00, First Presbyterian Church, 1 Symphony Circle, across from Kleinman’s. Perennials for sun and shade, natives, annuals, succulents, hypertufa and draped concrete pots, vegetable starts, herbs, shrubs and garden art. Plants are from MG gardens and donated by local nurseries.   East Aurora Garden Club Perennial Sale, Saturday, May 25th 8:30 – till sold out. In the Village Plaza on Grey Street where Tops is. The sale is located under the roof overhang between TJ Max and Pet Smart. A great selection plants from Garden Club member’s gardens. Happy gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [email protected] 716- 652-2432   Copyright © 2023 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. You're receiving this message because you requested to receive Lessons from Nature newsletters. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences