May in the Garden: Alex's Jobs for the Month, Our Houseplant of the Month, Plus What's New In
Hello from the Moor!
May is one of those months where the garden seems to wake up properly. The borders are filling out, the days are stretching longer, and there's a real sense that everything is finally underway. It's a busy one for us here at the centre, and likely a busy one for you at home too, so we've pulled together Alex's jobs for May, this month's plant picks from the team, and a brilliant new product that's just landed in store.
Alex's Gardening Jobs for May
Plenty to be getting on with this month. Here's what Alex recommends turning your attention to:
Keep slugs and snails at bay. With all the fresh new growth around, slugs and snails will be making the most of the buffet. A wildlife friendly deterrent is the way to go. Beer traps work a treat, or try wool pellets around your most precious plants.
Earth up your potatoes. As the green shoots come through, cover them back over with soil. This protects the developing tubers from light and encourages a better crop.
Plant out summer bedding, but keep an eye on the forecast. May is the month for getting bedding plants into borders and containers, but a late frost can still catch us out up here in Yorkshire. Have some fleece on standby just in case.
Install a water butt. Spring showers are perfect for filling one up, and you'll be very glad of the saved water come July and August. Better for your plants and better for your bills.
Get tomatoes and other veg planted. It's a great time to get tomatoes, courgettes, beans and the like into the ground or into pots. Same rule as your bedding though, watch for late frosts and protect if needed.
Pop cane toppers on your supports. A small job that makes a big difference. Bamboo canes can be a real hazard for eyes when you're bending down to weed or tie things in, so cane toppers are a quick and easy bit of garden safety.
Sow grass seed. Whether you're patching up bare spots or starting a new lawn from scratch, May is a lovely time to sow. The soil is warming up and there's usually enough rain to help things along.
Protect your soft fruit. Strawberries, raspberries, currants — the birds will spot them before you do. A simple netting frame around your fruit will keep your harvest where it belongs.
Plant of the Month: Geums, Chosen by Kerstin
Kerstin's pick this month is one of our absolute favourites. Cheerful and long flowering, Geums are a real delight in any UK garden, bringing a vibrant pop of colour from late spring all the way through summer.
We love them for their generous nature. They're easy to grow, undemanding and reliably hardy, happy in full sun or light shade and quite content in moist but well drained soil. They're perfect for cottage style borders or more naturalistic planting schemes, and they look gorgeous paired with grasses and early summer perennials. A little deadheading of spent blooms goes a long way too, keeping the flowers coming for months on end.
If you're looking for varieties to try, some of the most celebrated ones (all holders of the RHS Award of Garden Merit) include:
- 'Totally Tangerine' for fiery orange blooms
- 'Mrs J. Bradshaw' for richly ruffled scarlet flowers
- 'Mai Tai' for soft, romantic apricot tones
Pop down and have a look, they're flowering beautifully at the moment.
Houseplant of the Month: Begonia 'Rex', Chosen by Oli and Jenny
Oli and Jenny have gone for a real showstopper this month. The Begonia 'Rex', sometimes known as the painted leaf begonia, is grown for its incredible foliage. Each leaf is a swirl of colour and pattern, with deep purples, silvers, pinks and greens that look almost hand painted.
A couple of things worth knowing first: Begonia 'Rex' isn't pet friendly, so it's one to keep out of reach of curious cats and dogs. On the upside, it's an air purifying plant, so it's working away quietly in the background while looking beautiful.
Here's how to keep yours happy:
Light: Bright but indirect light is ideal. Direct summer sun will scorch those gorgeous leaves, but too much shade and the colours start to fade.
Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist, but never let the plant sit in water as this can lead to root rot. Try to water from the base or around the edges, as wet leaves can develop mildew.
Humidity: Begonias love warmth and humidity, which makes them brilliant kitchen or bathroom plants. If your home runs dry, a light mist now and then will help. Just go gently to avoid soaking the foliage.
Temperature: Anywhere between 13 and 24 degrees suits them perfectly.
Size: Expect yours to reach around 30cm tall and 20cm wide once settled in.
Pop in and have a look, the colours really do need to be seen in person.
New In: Organic Superfood for Plants and Vegetables
We're really excited about this one. A new organic superfood for plants and vegetables has just arrived in store, and it's a brilliant addition for anyone growing in peat free compost.
It's a complete nutrient package designed to help your plants thrive, with some genuinely impressive benefits:
- Produces up to twice the crop yields, with bigger and brighter blooms
- Strengthens plants to help them resist disease
- Supports plants through stressful spells like drought or overwatering
- Slow release formula for longer lasting nourishment
- Improves water retention in your compost
- Helps with root development
Whether you're growing tomatoes in the greenhouse, filling pots with summer colour or feeding your veg patch, it's a lovely all rounder to have on the shelf.
£7.99 for an 800g bag — pop in and pick one up next time you're with us.
That's it from us for this month. As always, if you've got any questions about jobs in the garden, your houseplants or anything else, our team is here and happy to help. Come and say hello.
Happy gardening,
Alex and the team at Moss & Moor 🌱
