Celebrate “No mow May!” by cutting back on the frequency of lawn mowing. This will not only boost the local bee population but free up time for tasks such as these:
* Begin planning this year’s container gardens. Gather ideas by perusing gardening magazines (e.g. Garden Gate and Fine Gardening) or books at the library. Many garden centers already have displays of containers with colorful plants to help with the planning. Buy container garden plants early since the choicest plants disappear fast.
* Dig up invasive garlic mustard plants now while soils are still moist, making weeding much easier. Garlic mustard, a native of Europe, has become a serious problem in local forests as it outcompetes and replaces native vegetation. The plant has a two-year life cycle and the plants seen now will soon produce flowers and subsequently release seeds. Each plant is capable of producing a thousand or more seeds.
* Enjoy the carpet of color provided by creeping phlox. When they finish flowering, use hedge shears to clip back the plants to about half their height. By the way, creeping phlox are big sellers at retail garden centers when they are bloom. However, once they no longer have any blossoms, customers tend to ignore them and they typically end up on the sale table. That’s a good time for frugal gardeners such as me to find a bargain.
* Plant tall species of ornamental grasses as a backdrop for a flower garden. The green foliage of the grasses helps accentuate the color of flowers in the border.
* Pot up some culinary herbs. Even though you may have an herb garden, it is so convenient to have pots of the most frequently used herbs in cooking just outside the kitchen door.
* Wear a carpenter’s nail apron when planting in the vegetable garden. The apron will hold seed packets, markers, and pencil.
* Watch for emerging spears of asparagus. Harvest the spears when they are 6-10 inches tall by breaking them off or by cutting the spears just below ground level. Harvesting may continue into early June but stop when newly emerging spears are thinner than a pencil.
* Save egg shells! Crushed egg shells scattered at the base of vegetable seedlings in the garden can deter cutworms. Otherwise, apply diatomaceous earth to dissuade the pests.
* Plant a little extra in the vegetable garden this year. Plan to donate this “extra” harvest to a local food pantry. With the already high food prices, the demand will be great this year.
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Don’t forget Mom this Sunday. It is her day. Celebrate by giving her a bag of cedar bark mulch for the flower garden. Hmm, maybe there are more meaningful gifts. A flowering tree or shrubs is a long lasting gift and one she will treasure forever.
