Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,

This May there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors with this warmer weather!  Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and events for May. Events include a Family Archeology Day, Raptor Festival, Brookside Garden’s Wings of Fancy, Silver Spring Garden Club’s Annual Garden Mart Fundraiser, Master Gardener and Master Naturalist 19th Annual Training Conference, and more!

Planning:

• Visit local native plant sales.
• Mark beds outside where new plants will go.
• Check out garden centers for discounted plants.
• Support our local farmers! Visit a local farmers’ market near you. Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture Farmer’s Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you. Or visit the main Montgomery County Farmers Market website.
• Go on a local house or garden tour to see what plants are thriving in other’s area home gardens: http://www.visitmaryland.org/list/gardens-Maryland
• Resources for Planting for Pollinators (and other insects):
  • How Gardeners Can Help Pollinators | usda.gov
  • How much do you know about pollinators? | usda.gov
  • Pollinator-Friendly Planting Guides | Eastern Broadleaf Forest Guide (e.g., MD) | North American Pollinator Protection Campaign

Flowers and Groundcovers:

• Remove and discard dead annuals and old growth on perennials.
• Pinch out growing tips of leggy plants.
• Pinch back mums, salvias, and other late-season bloomers to encourage bushy, not leggy growth.
• After the last frost date, plant warm-season annuals and tender bulbs (calla lilies, dahlias, gladiolus) in the ground and in containers.
• After spring bulbs bloom, let leaves turn yellow and die before trimming.
• Transplant spring flowering bulbs after flowering.
• Fertilize transplants.
• Water transplants deeply when dry.
• Provide supports for fast-growing perennials such as delphiniums, peonies, and lilies.
• Start seeds for: Cosmos, Celosia, Impatiens, Petunias, Tall Marigolds, Tall Zinnias
• Pests to watch for: aphids, spidermites, slugs, snails, whiteflies
• Diseases to watch for:  Blackspot on roses; powdery mildew, rust, bacterial diseases.
• See UMD’s HGIC’s May Flower tips for more details.

Trees and Shrubs:

• Directly after blooming, prune flowering shrubs and vines.
• Plant and transplant shrubs that have finished blooming.
• Check often and water newly planted and transplanted trees if they don’t pass the “finger test” (stick your finger deep into the soil – dry? Water!)
• Prune crepe myrtle when you can see what is still alive.
• Prune long shoots on shrubs to keep plant neat looking.
• Prune back forsythia, spirea, and other early-spring blooming shrubs.
• If you must mulch: Remove old mulch and then add 2″ to 3″ shredded pine or pine needles, keeping 3″ away from trunk.
• Soil test established trees that have not been performing well.
• Keep mowers and trimmers away from trunks!
• Pests to watch for:  adelgids, aphids, azalea lacebug, borers, caterpillars, gypsy moths, leafminers, scale, sawfly, and spidermites.
• Diseases to watch for: Apple scab, Cedar-apple; hawthorn or quince rust, Verticullum wilt, Oak leaf blister
• See HGIC’s May Trees and Shrubs Tips for more details.

Lawns:

• Fertilize Turf ONLY if week: apply 1 lb N/1000 sq ft
• Calibrate your spreader before fertilizing.
• Dethatch if necessary and plug aerate BEFORE applying weed control.
• Mow high to reduce weeds and stress and leave clippings on the lawn: Fescue and Bluegrass: 3″ – 3 1/2″
• Mow zoysia grass at 2″
• Apply pre-emergent weed control such as corn gluten.
• Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.
• Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
• Pests to watch for: Grubs
• See HGIC’s May Lawn Tips for more details.

Indoors/Houseplants:

• Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
• Begin hardening off prior to putting outside in the shade for summer.
• Repot larger plants that are going outside for the summer.
• Repot root-bound houseplants and start fertilizing them.
• Pests to watch for: aphids, spidermites, mealybug, scale.
• See HGIC’s May Houseplants Tips for more tips.
  

Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips:

• Feed birds and provide nesting material (try dryer lint) as well as houses for the start of their family season.
• Keep bird feeders clean and filled and provide a source of water.
• Check indoors for termites and winter ants.
• Set out traps for mice, moles, and voles.
• Be vigilant for mosquito breeding spots—any standing water from a bottle cap to blocked gutters and clean them up immediately.
• Put out slug traps around your vulnerable edibles and hostas.
• See HGIC’s May Insect Tips for more details.
• Watch for: carpenter ants, flies, stink bugs, termites, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, deer, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
• For more information on wildlife management and attracting wildlife see HGIC’s May Wildlife tips.

Source: University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Washington Gardener.

See below for upcoming local events in May.