Welcome to May at Grimm’s Gardens! This is the month of old fashioned flowers blooming in the garden. Peonies, iris, mockorange, and all of mom’s favorite flowers are now blooming! I look forward to May because this is also when most of the pollinators start showing up – bees and butterflies! And I really love insects! But come to the garden and you will find a host of new chores to be done. Hopefully cleanup and most of your pruning is done, and you can start thinking about being a lazy gardener.

The Lawn in May

A lot of people do “no mow May” which originated in Minnesota where Mays are typically cooler than in Kansas. But we can practice this too. At least, partially. I find that if you do not mow during the month of May, the lawn gets almost impossible to mow when you get to June. And it never looks good afterwards. The point of not mowing was to allow pollinators to utilize native and nonnative plants growing in the lawn. If you have an alternative lawn, then this idea might be fore you.

For those of you with more traditional lawns, then now is the time to put on another application of slow-release fertilizer on bluegrass and fescue lawns. If you are not regularly watering, then you can skip this application. I do not recommend spraying for broadleaf weeds at this time, the next best time is in September.

Remember to keep mower blades sharp. Sharpen them at least once every 3 to 4 cuts.

You can reduce thatch in zoysia and bermudagrass lawns by verticutting or core aerating. Now is the time to fertilize zoysia, bermuda, or buffalograss lawns with nitrogen to promote green up and summer growth. You can fill in bare areas by plugging or with sod. Mow these lawns at 2 to 3 inches tall.

In the Vegetable Garden

Once danger of frost has passed, (May 5th for most of Northeast Kansas and Southeast Nebraska), you can begin to put out warm season transplants from the greenhouse or house. These include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, annual flowers, and herbs. It is also time to seed more warm season crops directly into the ground. Plant the following in rows or blocks:

• Sweet corn
• Cucumbers
• Melons
• Squash
• Beans
• Okra
• Sweet potato

You can also do succession plantings of potatoes, spinach, carrots, beets, and turnips. They can continue growing through the warmer months for a later harvest. You should be harvesting spinach, lettuces, brassicas, beets, and turnips now. Continue to harvest asparagus until spears become small and spindly. You can now start harvesting rhubarb, by pulling the stalks from the ground. Fertilize with calcium for a continued harvest.

Now is a great time to plant herbs and annuals flowers throughout the vegetable garden to increase pollinator activity and reduce pest pressure. Keep and eye out for cabbage worms in your brassicas. You can dust them with diatomaceous earth or cover them with insect netting to keep the moths off.

Fruit Trees in May

Once fruit trees finish blooming, you can spray them with an insecticide (Spinosad is best for organic gardens) to prevent insect damage to young fruit. Most insect pests lay eggs on the young setting fruit, which then hatch and burrow into the developing fruits. Insect damage is worst on peach, cherry, plum, apricot, and apple. Pears are usually pest free.

Apples, peaches, and plums should be thinned when they have heavy fruit set. Remove fruit until there is 1 fruit every 4 to 6 inches. These will be bigger and ripen quicker once excess fruit is gone. Plant annuals and herbs around your orchard or fruit trees to encourage beneficial insects.

Flowering Plants

Roses need fertilized again in mid to late May with a rose formulated fertilizer. Fish emulsion can be used to keep the blossoms vibrant with color. It does stink though! If you have older floribunda or hybrid tea roses, some deadheading may be necessary. Shrubs roses do not need to be deadheaded.

Many types of flowers should be blooming now. Some of them can be used for cut flowers to bring into the house. Use any of the following flowers for arrangements in the house:

• Bearded iris
• Herbaceous peony
• Siberian iris
• Baptisia
• Cornflower
• Allium
• Bleeding Hearts
• Columbine
• Daffodils
• Tulips
• Coreopsis

If you applied compost or biochar to your garden beds in March or April, then you do not need to add fertilizer to perennial beds now.

Some perennials and shrubs are slow to come to life, but do not worry, once it gets hotter, they will make up for lost time. Look for these perennials and shrubs to open late:

• Hardy hibiscus
• Plumbago
• Rose of Sharon
• Buttonbush

Bedding Plants (Annual Flowers)

Now it is time to plant annual flowers both in the ground and in outside containers. You can do a lot with annual flowers! Besides the typical bedding plants like ageratum, begonia, and impatiens, Proven Winners has a huge line of wonderful annual flowers for a variety of spaces in the garden.

If you are planting in the ground, remove last years’ mulch and any debris to the compost pile. Then add fresh compost, biochar, and Fertilome’s Rose and Flower Food. You can till in lightly or plant through the mixture. I like to use a soil knife for planting holes.

Trees and Shrubs

Continue to plant new trees and shrubs.

“You can plant a tree anytime, as long as you take care of it” – The Kansas Gardener

Now is the time to get ready for some of the upcoming pests of trees. Japanese beetles will be emerging at the end of the month, so set your traps and barrels out now for them. If you have extremely sensitive plants, such as roses or grapes, I recommend covering these with insect netting during the the month of June and into early July to prevent the worst beetle damage.

When bridal wreath spireas are blooming, put out protection for ash/lilac borer damage on lilacs. There are a variety of protective products, which all have about the same residual on the plant. If you are protecting Japanese tree lilacs, you can use tree wrap from the base to the first branches on the trunk.

This is also the best time to treat for Emerald Ash Borer. Call Grimm’s Gardens for pricing today!