“ I think that spring must last forevermore;for I was untried and love , and it was May . ”—Vera Brittain

The gay month of May , sometimes called the merry , gay month of May , is a wonderful fourth dimension for gardener . We have all that pent - up ebullience for digging in the soil once again . Even weeding seems less of a chore . What should we do between Mother ’s Day and Memorial Day to nurture the promise of May ?

FERTILIZING SHRUBS AND TREES

Many trees and landscape plants require little or no fertilizer once they are established and ripe . When over - applied , fertilizers may aggravate insect and disease problems and force inordinate growth which must be mowed or pruned . Excess fertiliser can break away off thousand into watercourse or seep into aquifer , polluting drinking water .

The decisiveness to inseminate should be ground upon the health of the plant , the hope pace of growth , and a soil analysis . A land analysis will tell you the soil pH and the quantity of nutrients in the soil that are available for plant growth . Soil pH regard the handiness of nutrient in the dirt . When impregnation is indicated by a soil test , you may then select a fertilizer that provides the nutrient that are lack in the soil . Use slow - release fertiliser . Buy fertilizers that contain 50 % or more of the nitrogen in slow - loss forms .   See“A Fertilization Primer : Plant need , Fertilizer Choices and app Tips,”in the April 2021 issue ofThe Garden Shed .

natural spring PRUNING CONTINUES

Wait to dress until AFTER all flowers have fleet . good example of bush to prune in May include : azalea ( deciduous and evergreen ) , daphne ( Daphne audora ) , fothergilla , forsythia , springiness - blooming hydrangea , lilac , pieris ( Pieris japonica ) , spring - blossom Astilbe japonica , serviceberry ( Amelanchierspp . ) , viburnum ( deciduous and evergreen ) , pussy willow tree ( Salix discolor ) , and spring - bloom witchhazel(Hamamelisvernalis ) . Hamamelis virginianais a previous - declension foul-up cut in early spring .

If you ’re inquire about the right time to prune a particular shrub , consult theShrub Pruning Calendarpublished by the    Va. Cooperative Extension , Coop . Ext . Pub . No . 430 - 462 . For detailed instructions onhow to prune shrubs , reviewVa . Coop . Ext . Pub . No . 430 - 459 , and be trusted to readA Pruning Primer / Garden Shed 2020 .

MAY IS THE calendar month TO take out INVASIVE SEEDLINGS

This information is allow by Blue Ridge PRISM ( Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management),4/24/20 .

The current weather pattern of intermittent rain ( and , therefore , moist grunge ) has created basis term that are ideal for hand - pulling invasive plants . The key fruit to deal perpetrate is being sure that you remove all or most of the stem , such that there is so little of the root organisation left in the basis that it can not back regrowth .

desirable targetsaresmall , untested sproutsof the following plants : English ivy ( Hedera volute ) , climbing euonymous ( Euonymous fortunei ) , Japanese meeting house ( Lonicera japonica ) , Oriental semisweet ( Celastrus orbiculatus).Shrubs : Nipponese barberry ( Berberis   thunbergia),multiflora rose(Rosa multifora),autumn olive(Eleagnus umbellata),Chinese privet(Ligustrum sinense),wineberry(Rubus phoenicolasius).Trees : Bradford Pear / Callery pear(Pyrus calleryana).Herbs : garlic mustard(Alliaria petiolata ) .

Forphotographs of each of these invasives and a verbal description of how to rive weeds in effect , see thisLINKfrom Blue Ridge PRISM .

THE TICKS ARE ACTIVE

In Virginia , thelone star tick(Amblyomma americanum ) and theAmerican dog tick(Dermacentor variabilis ) are most fighting in May / June . Lone wizard tick are found mostly in woodlands with dense undergrowth and around animal resting areas . The larva do not transmit disease , but the nymphal and grownup stages can broadcast pathogens causing monocytic ehrlichiosis , Rocky Mountain espy fever and ‘ Stari ’ borreliosis . The lone star tick may also cause Alpha - gal syndrome , a case of food allergic reaction to red gist and other Cartesian product made from mammals . distaff lone adept ticks are well recognise by a single clean Department of Transportation in the nerve center of a brown body , with the males having spots or streaks of bloodless around the kayoed boundary of the body .

American firedog ticks hold the rough mountain spotted fever agentive role , and they can channelise it in the first few hours of attachment . Fortunately , the percentage of tick carrying the federal agent is low , 1/1000 or 1/500 . They can also air the disease tularemia . Adult male and females are fighting April to former August , and are mostly found call for in tall grass and low lying brush and twigs . Studies in Virginia found that when acorn crop are highest , mice and cervid universe explode ; soon after , the number of check mark and relative incidence of Lyme infection also soar .

When horticulture , fall apart long pant and air sock and make certain your pant bottoms are tuck into boots or socks or somehow fastened around your ankle joint . assume long sleeve and rapier shirts into pants . Wear light - colored clothing , and check yourself cautiously . See thisLINKfor a seasonal table of tick in Virginia and tick - borne sickness , as well as prevention tips . Also refer toThe Garden Shedarticle , “ Managing the Tick Problem . ”

seed

Past May issues ofThe Garden Shed:2020,2019,2018,2017,2016 .

“ Monthly Garden Tips – May , ” Piedmont Master Gardeners , https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / horticulture - question / monthly - garden - tips/#May

“ horticulture by Month – May , ” Missouri Botanical Garden , https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / gardens - gardening / your - garden / help - for - the - family - nurseryman / advice - tips - resources / gardening - by - calendar month / may.aspx

“ Common Turf Weeds , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension , https://www.pwcgov.org / government / dept / vce / Documents / Common%20Weeds.pdf

Native Plant Finder ( By Zip Code , ranked by the act of butterfly stroke and moth metal money that use them as emcee plants for their caterpillars),https://www.nwf.org / nativePlantFinder / works

“ A Year of New - Home Landscaping and What I ’ve Learned,”The Garden Shed(March , 2021),https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / clause / a - year - of - new - home plate - landscaping - and - what - ive - learned/

“ Be Wise When You Fertilize , ” Clemson Cooperative Extension , https://www.clemson.edu / extension / carolinayards / G - actions / be - wise - fertilize.html

“ A Fertilization Primer : Plant need , Fertilizer Choices and software Tips,”The Garden Shed(April , 2021),https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / clause / a - fertilization - primer - plant - need - fertilizer - choices - and - applications programme - tips/

“ alerting : Act Now – extract Out Invasive Seedlings , ” Blue Ridge PRISM ( Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management , 4/24/20https://mailchi.mp / blueridgeprism / pullthoseseedlings?e=[UNIQID ]

“ Ticks and Tick - take over Diseases of Virginia , ” Virginia Department of Health , https://www.vdh.virginia.gov / message / uploads / sites/12/2019/08 / Tick - borne - Disease - in - Virginia - Flyer-8.5 - x-11 - format - for - website-.pdf

“ Managing the Tick Problem,”The Garden Shed,(March , 2019),https://piedmontmastergardeners.org / article / managing - the - ticking - problem/

Feature Photo : Flame azalea ( Rhododendron calendulaceum ) , Jane Bald , Wikimedia Commons(CC by 2.0 )