I can't believe we are nearly halfway through May and what a May it has been so far.  | | Colin Evans |
One day warm and windy and next cold and wet with very cold nights in some areas of the county. In last week's column I said that May can be a difficult month and to beware of getting delicate plants in the garden too early as the weather could knock them back and some might not recover. Well, I am glad I took my own advice, and I hope you did too because waiting that extra two weeks will have made a great difference to the growth rate of plants put into the ground now. Mind you, these conditions make for wonderful growing environment so get your plants in now and stand back and watch them grow. dangers of frost are now at an end so get out there and get cracking. May also sees the start of the gardening season and to kick things off The Chelsea Flower Show will be in full swing from Tuesday 22 May through till the Saturday. I will be there on Monday 21 May bringing all the flavour of the show and what's new for gardeners this year. Both Maggie Philbin and Henry Kelly will be live from the show also, and judging by last year's visit, providing the rain keeps off, we should have a great gardening day looking at the show gardens and grabbing the celebrities to find out about their own horticultural skills. Listen in from 7am till 1pm and get inspired to create your own little bit of Chelsea in your garden be it big or small. Plant of the weekMy favorite plant for this week has to be Weigelia. This compact shrub can be seen everywhere now in gardens just about everywhere now and can be spotted easily because of its compact shape and its fragrant flowers in shades of red, pink and white. Weigelia is excellent for filling in gaps in borders and will grow in most soils especially if a good mulch is applied to keep the moisture in. It likes both direct sunlight and shade, though if you are thinking of one of the variegated types then full sun or good light is better as this prevents the foliage from turning green. It's a tough plant and will thrive on a bit of neglect. Easy to look after, the rule of thumb is to prune after flowering to keep the shrub in check ensuring good blooms next year. If you haven't tried this brilliant shrub, then give it a go. Runner Beans can be sown directly into the ground now, however, I prefer to plant the seeds into small pots of compost, one per pot, and give them a little shelter, either in a cold greenhouse or a windowsill. Once germinated wait for the four leaf stage and the plant the whole Runner Bean plant straight into the prepared ground or into large pots. The beans need support either with wires canes or sticks and providing they are given plenty of water and liquid feed then they will make rapid growth. Watch out for Black Fly and when spotted use one of the insecticides found at the garden centres.  | | Spruce up your lawn with turf |
Lawns must be cut on a regular basis if you want a good lush stand of grass. Keep the grass box on or rake up the excess cuttings to keep the lawn free to breath. During these spells of wet weather just raise the cut a little and remember if you leave the grass too long before mowing then the grass will suffer. In dry conditions irrigate and a some liquid feed for a quick boost of growth. Plant Water Lilies into garden soil in special pond planters and cover with clean gravel before placing in the pond. The Lilies should be placed in still ponds as they are unhappy growing in flowing water. The best Lilies are grown in water not much more that one meter deep. Happy gardening! | 
