People often talk about the ‘May gap’, when spring plants begin to fade and the burgeoning summer growth is yet to appear. Though if, like me, you allow a little room for some wildness, May is one of the most abundant months, with cow parsley, bluebells, hawthorn blossom, foxgloves and columbine meeting cultivated Solomon’s seal and the first hardy geraniums and delphiniums in your borders. For me, the impact of this is breathtaking: soft, green and zinging.
When the days are consistently warm, and the nights are warmer too, you can safely start to unwrap tender plants like tree ferns and bananas. Any damaged, rotting or slightly frost-damaged limbs and segments should be removed, clearing the way for a flush of new growth.
This is also classic ‘Chelsea chop’ season,…
