May 2026 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends, April has been an interesting month. We had a little winter, a little spring and even a few summer like days, then there was the rain. Don’t be concerned about some perennials that haven’t shown themselves yet. The cooler weather has delayed some plants. Because of this be super careful where you step and dig. The following are a few tips for May: - Patience is still the best approach. The soil is quite cold and it’s way too soon to even think about planting annuals. Hopefully by mid to end May. Remember, Moter Nature knows best. You can’t plant by the calendar but rather by what the weather and soil tell you. - 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 the individual plants out so there is good air circulation. Storing them crowded in a flat invites fungal disease and makes watering difficult. (I speak from experience) - If you leave a footprint on the soil that’s a sign the soil is too wet to work in. It’s easy to compact the soil with every footfall so stay off until things dry out. - It’s helpful to have paths or steppingstones in gardens so you can navigate without harming the soil. If a path isn’t appropriate, a few rocks or steppingstones placed appropriately are practical and attractive. - Wait until the soil dries out a little to divide or move perennials already in your gardens. Signs they need dividing are: overcrowding, less bloom, and 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. - However, don’t move perennials when the soil is too wet. “Workable” soil means the soil will break apart easily after you make it into a ball in your hand. Clumpy soil won’t settle around the roots well and cause air pockets which can dry out the roots. - Mid-May until early June is “Chelsea Chop” time because it’s the time of the Chelsea Flower Show. This is a technique to shorten tall blooming plants that tend to flop and need to be supported when in bloom. Cutting stems back 1/3 to ½ will shorten the plant and cause branching which gives you more blooms a little later than usual. Be sure to cut back to a leaf join and not leave stubs. Some perennials that benefit are phlox, asters, penstemon anise hyssop, and foxglove. To increase the length of bloom, chop the front half of the clump and leave the back. The tall part will bloom first followed by the chopped ones. -     Weeding should be a priority. Perennial weeds are up now and will be much easier to remove when small. If removed now you also prevent the weed from developing seeds and spreading even more.    -     The soil is still much too cold to plant greenhouse grown perennials, annuals, and vegetables. Wait until the soil is above 50 degrees. As an 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 mid-May so don’t get fooled by a few warm days. - 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. - There are lots of deer and critter sprays available. Basically, there are two types, those that smell bad or taste bad. I always prefer the smelly types as I don’t want deer to munch a bit before they realize it tastes bad. It stinks while you’re spraying but dissipates by the next day. There are also products/granules you spread on the ground. Try a variety of products and rotate the ones that work the best for you. When buying plants, look for ones that are deer resistant. There are many excellent lists online including the one from Cornell below: https://warren.cce.cornell.edu/gardening-landscape/deer-resistant-plants If you are discarding any Venetian blinds or see some in the garbage, please save them for me. I cut up the blinds to make price tags for my plant sale. Now is the time to make changes and improvements to 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: https://www.lessonsfromnature.biz/ Pollinator Festival: Sunday May 3 rd , Emery Park Ski Lodge (at the bottom of ski hill) 11- 4. A family day filled with informative presentations, native plant vendors, guided wildflower walks ad much more. A must for anyone interested in supporting pollinators. I’ll be in the Wild Ones booth in the afternoon. Stop by. Upcoming Plant Sales: Put them on your calendar now! Lessons from Nature and Amanda’s Native Garden and Perennial Plant Sale. Saturday, May 18th, 8:00 – 2:00. 170 Pine St., E Aurora, corner of Pine &; Lawrence. Park on Lawrence. 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 on the day of the sale. This year Providence Farm will be selling Dahlia tubers. There will be something for everyone! 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 22, 8:30 – 3:00, Saturday May 23, 8:30 – 2:00, First Presbyterian Church, 1 Symphony Circle, across from Kleinhan’s. Perennials for sun and shade, natives, annuals, succulents, hypertufa and draped concrete pots, vegetable starts, herbs, shrubs, house plants and garden art. Plants are from MG gardens and donated by local nurseries. East Aurora Garden Club Perennial Sale, Saturday, May 23 rd 8:30 – till sold out. This year the sale is located in the parking lot between Fisher Price Toys and the Ice Rink on Gray St. in the Village of E Aurora. A great selection plants from Garden Club member’s gardens. They will also have Atlas garden gloves and beautiful photographic greeting cards. Don’t forget to contact me for a garden consultation. I can help improve your garden and gardening practices. 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