May is a very forgiving month in the garden, there are always things I want to improve, but May is the time when generally, everything looks pretty fine.

Our lawn, which suffers towards the end of the summer is lush and green and benefiting from regular cuts now.

Any gaps in the borders have been filled with the rapid growth of the perennials, dotted in between with forget-me-nots and alliums. A hue of bluey purples is my garden in May.

Make a note of where those gaps were for next year so you can fill them with bulbs.

I was proud to have completed my first Half Ironman at the weekend and can amazingly still move which is quite necessary as now is not a time to be sitting around. A different race is on against the weeds with ideal conditions for them to grow so regular weeding or a quick run over with the hoe is essential.

Whippy & Winding Wisteria

The racemes of the wisteria with fresh green foliage are looking particularly appealing this year, benefiting from that prune we gave them in winter back to two buds. Choosing Wisteria ‘floribunda’ for the lilac display or Wisteria ‘floribunda’ Alba if you prefer the white variety.

Sinensis forms should be chosen for scent. To keep it in good shape they will need a further prune of the long side-growth back to four or five leaves in summer as they put on a large amount of growth during the growing season.

Neat and Tidy

Now we are well into May you can trim your ornamental box hedging, using a guide line to ensure the tops are straight and level you can reduce the height by about a third to encourage bushy growth, then if needed further trimming can be done any time right up to August.

Buxus sempervirens can be expensive. So, if you’ve ever fancied trying to grow some yourself you can take semi-ripe cuttings. This means cuttings from this seasons growth, trimmed to 10-15cm cutting just below a leaf node, remove any of the lowest leaves, a quick dip in hormone rooting powder, insert into a compost filled pot. Then cover with a plastic bag and keep in a warm light position out of direct sunlight.

You can use this method for many plants including climbers; evergreen shrubs; ground cover plants, hedging and herbs.