Gardening this month is a challenge. There is mud from all the rain and the weeds are loving it, growing so much better than the plants we want to see.
The dry April and now the rain has made the ground as wet as you would expect in March, making it difficult to dig, and very cold to plant into.
The cold waterlogged and muddy ground is stopping plants flourishing; if you have planted them out, wait and hope they survive the cold. If seedling are still in pots, leave them for a bit longer and pot on into larger containers. Usually by now perennials such as Dahlias are starting to grow well with even the first flower buds starting to form. This year, many haven’t even put out a first shoot.
Don’t Panic
If your plants are not showing yet or still look dormant, they are probably just waiting for warmer and sunnier weather. Leave them for at least another month before your give up on them and consider digging anything up.
Keep Weeding
As the weeds flourish, they are providing food for insects, but if you don’t want the weed to spread, remove the flowerhead once it starts to dieback to stop seeds forming and being spread. Dandelions in particular can go from flower to seed head in a couple of hours.
No Mow May
You might be taking part in No Mow May, either deliberately or because the grass is not growing much in these conditions. The idea is to not mow in May to allow all the other plants in a lawn flower to give food for insects and to let any new grass get established. This year with all the rain, many lawns are waterlogged, and mowing could churn them up. Whatever your reason not to mow this May, it is a good decision!
If you have shrubs and trees in your garden that are not breaking into leaf or look unhappy, give Chopwell a call. Our friendly professional team offer advice to manage the health and longevity of your plants as well as how to prune and coppice to make the best effect for your garden.
