In The Garden: May

In your garden in May it is time to...

1. Sow rocket

ROCKET ROCKETS TO SEED IN HOT WEATHER but grows steadily through the cooler months, making it a spicy addition to salads and a great base for pesto. Sow it where you want it to grow, scattering a seed-raising mix lightly over the seeds and watering well.

2. Bring in the wildlife

AUTUMN IS THE BEST TIME TO PLAN and plant a new garden. If you want to attract birds, bees, and butterflies, choose native plants that provide both food and shelter. Buy tubestock, as smaller plants establish and grow better (and cost less!) than advanced ones. Low-growing, mound-forming banksias such as ‘Cherry Candles,' ‘Birthday Candles,' and ‘Honey Pots’ will provide a reliable supply of nectar for native birds throughout winter. You can visit the Sydney Wildflower Nursery, a Garden Clinic partner, for expert tips and advice on what plants to purchase.

3. Make a move

REMODEL YOUR GARDEN this month by relocating plants that are not in the right position. Prepare plants for transplanting by first digging around the drip line. This process, known as 'spragging the roots', helps the plant cope with transplant shock. Before moving your plant, prepare the soil in its new location by adding well-rotted manure, compost, blood and bone, and a little lime to the planting hole. Remember this simple rule: The larger the root ball, the more successful the move.

4. Cut it out

TIP PRUNE EVERGREEN HEDGES for neat, compact growth. They’ll leaf up before the onset of winter, especially if encouraged with a dose of organic fertiliser and a deep seaweed drink.

5. Divide perennials

AS FLOWERING PERENNIAL PLANTS FINISH, it’s timely to dig, divide and replant divisions. This will enhance the flowering and give you lots more plants.

Dig up a plant clump and place it on your lawn or hard surface. Split the clump into pieces and replant the divisions into a new position.
Take this opportunity to replenish your soil with compost, well-rotted manure and blood and bone before you plant.
Evergreen perennials are best divided in autumn, unless you live in a very cold climate with severe winter frost (when you should wait until spring). Perennials include agapanthus, aster, euphorbia, geranium, hosta, lychnis, peony, bergenia, ginger, daylily, echinacea, Easter daisy, agastache, rudbeckia, ornamental grasses, oregano, thyme, chives and comfrey.
For best results, prepare new planting positions in advance and replant just before a cool, wet spell. The combination of warm soil and cool air means the plants will settle in successfully.

6. Plant tulips

MOTHER'S DAY IS THE MEMORY-JOG to plant yout tulips in the garden and in pots.
Some tulip varieties flower early, some mid-season and some late, so plant a variety to enjoy a longer seasonal show. Use premium quality potting mix and place the pots on pot feet in a spot with morning sunshine only. Liquid-feed tulips and other spring flowering bulbs with Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit. Unless you live in a very cold climate, tulips will not re-flower each year. Spent bulbs should be discarded (into the compost) after flowering. Checkout www.tesselaar.net.au for bulbs and other perennials.

7. Start a compost bin

TURN FALLEN LEAVES AND KITCHEN SCRAPS into valuable organics for your garden. Variety is the key to success: layer 'greens' (kitchen scraps, lawn and garden clippings) with 'browns' (fallen leaves, straw, newspaper and cardboard), and mix them well. Adding a sprinkle of pelletised manure introduces beneficial microbes to the mix, which help accelerate the decomposition process.

8. Prepare for new roses

IT’S TIME TO REMOVE non-performing roses to make space for new.

Remove the old plant and half a wheelbarrow of depleted soil which can be transferred to your compost.
Replace it with the same amount of good soil from an area of the garden which has not had roses growing in it.
Add compost, lime, blood and bone and pelletised manure to the planting hole and water with a probiotic concentrate such as Neutrog's GoGo Juice or Popul8.
Now you are ready to plant a new bare-rooted rose plant in winter.

9. Take rose cuttings

MANY ROSES CAN BE GROWN FROM CUTTINGS especially miniatures, floribunda, polyantha, shrub (including hybrid musk, hybrid rugosa, groundcovers) and patio roses. This step-by-step guide on taking hardwood cuttings is adapted from the late Kelvin Trimper, a renowned expert and past member of the Rose Society of South Australia.

Hardwood cuttings come from mature wood, approximately the thickness of a pencil. If you can readily remove the thorns without tearing the bark, the wood is mature enough.

STEP ONE: Take cuttings of stems with at least four buds. Make a horizontal cut about 1mm below the bottom bud. Then, make a slanted cut 3-5mm above the top bud. Remove all thorns for easy handling.
STEP TWO: Prepare a bundle of 10-15 cuttings and bind them tightly with a rubber band. Make sure all the bottoms of the cuttings form a horizontal plane. Do this by placing the base of the bundle on a flat surface and either gently tapping the bundle or pushing down on each cutting until their bases are all on the same plane. Label the bundles.
STEP THREE: Place the bundle in a pot of coarse washed-river sand, buried to a depth approximating the second bud from the bottom of the cuttings. Water well and position in a warm, sunny spot until callused. The cuttings are callused when a white callus forms around the base.
STEP FOUR: Once callused, transplant the cuttings into individual pots filled with a general potting mix.