May: To Do

Oh, and if you really think that I actually do all of these things, every year, you are terribly confused. Sometimes I even (gasp) do things that aren't on this list.

I can only guarrentee this list is accurate for the things that I grow. I do not grow every item on this list. This list is targetted to Sunset Zone 14, specifically, and I think it is good for all of USDA Zone 9. In addition, it is probably pretty accurate for USDA Zones 10-11.

General (or it never ends)

• What to buy:
  • Annuals: Vinca Rosea, Cleome, Scabiosa, Cosmos
  • Perennials: Rudbeckia
• Watch out for snails and slugs. I use a powder form of snail bait as well as hand picking and trapping with grapefruit rinds.
• A strong spray will remove aphids from leaves and stems.
• Spread mulch. I use two types of mulch, shredded redwood bark and compost mixed with rice hulls. It takes a while, but the shredded bark does compost, and because I have alkaline soil, I find that the bark is very beneficial.

  The rice hulls are important for another reason. My soil is half clay and half silt, no sand. The rice hulls act as small aggregate (ie sand) would in my soil. That is, they help to break up the clumps of clay that holds in all the water and nutrients in the soil. I've been told that it takes about 10 years for the hulls to break down. Since I add more every year, it doesn't seem to matter.

  I use the bark in more exposed areas than I use the compost, and everytime I dig a hole, I add compost to that hole. I get my compost and bark at Cochran Materials, 1129 Greenville Road, in Livermore. They have great rocks, too.

• Feed everything that is about to bloom.
• Weed, weed, weed.
• Remember to water. I water every 2 days unless otherwise noted.

Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

• Plant container grown stock, including palms.
• Supposedly, this is the time to plant bougainvillea, but I recommend against growing it. It is a beautiful plant in the right environment. Livermore (USDA 9, Sunset 14) isn't that environment. It can work, but only if you have a south facing wall next to your house on which to grow bougainvillea. That way, the plant can get the light it loves, and you can easily cover it to protect it from frost by hanging something from your eaves. It's ugly when it's covered, but it is beautiful when it isn't.

  What about pots, you ask? Well, that's how I grow bougainvillea. I had 4 of them, and I faithfully took them indoors or onto my porch when it got cold. I don't have enough light there for them. Sure, they survive, mostly, but they are leggy, thorny, scraggly plants. It takes forever for them to leaf out and blooms take even longer. After about 5 years, I am down to the last bougainvillea.

• Spray olives to prevent fruit.
• Prune spring bloomers as they finish flowering. This prevents overcrowding. Not all spring bloomers need this attention. Some that do are forsythias, weigelias, lilacs, and quince. My lilac is old and wasn't taken care of properly by the previous owner. It was poorly pruned and as a result has "water spouts" or branches that grow straight up from a high branch. Water spouts are dangerous for the shrub because they are very heavy and because of the direction they are growing, break easily. I cut these off every year, and I will prune the lilac back to two-thirds of its original size, at most.
• Prune tropical and subtropical plants.
• Trim topiaries and espaliers.
• Take softwood cuttings from deciduous trees and shrubs and broad leafed evergreens, like azaleas.
• Shear hedges back to shape.
• Remove suckers from root stock.
• Break off faded rhododendron blooms just above new growth buds. This is a good time to prune leggy plants. Make sure you do this promptly after blooming, or you will be shearing off next years bloom.
• If you didn't feed your trees and shrubs last month, do so now, and feed azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons when they finish blooming.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.

Roses

• Remove suckers.
• Keep plants deadheaded.
• Feed.
• Prune non-repeat climbers and ramblers after they bloom.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.

Lawns and Ground Covers

• Aerate your lawn. Compost the cores.
• Seed or sod summer lawn grasses.
• Lightly thatch the lawn to remove dead material that is trapped around the rood area.
• Topdress with a soil builder/topdresser product or compost.
• Fertilized with nitrogen fertilizer. This is a good time for applying broadleaf herbicidal fertilizers like "weed 'n feed".
• Mow weekly or 2x/week. Raise mower blades to 2.5 or 3 inches.

Perennials

• Plant container-gown perennials and cacti.
• Take cuttings from carnations, chrysanthemums, geraniums, and succulents.
• Protect new plants from sun. Use beach umbrellas.
• Deadhead.
• Pinch back mums.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.

Bulbs

• Divide and transplant crowded narcissus after bloom but before foliage dies.
• Plant summer bulbs: calla, canna, dahlia, gladiolus, lilies, tigridia, and tuberous begonias.
• Feed summer bulbs.
• Stake glads and tall dahlias.
• Hyacinths: all my books say to lift and store or discard hyacinths. I don't do that. I leave mine in the ground, and they have come back beautifully every year.

Annuals

• Vinca Rosea is an excellent bedding plant and loves the heat.
• Sow seeds of heat loving annuals, like cosmos, portulaca, ornamental sunflowers, and zinnias.
• Feed new transplants with a liquid fertilizer.
• Stake tall plants.
• Train your vines.
• Deadhead.
• Pull spent spring plants and replace with summer bloomers.
• Shear back sweet alyssum and petunias to stimulate more bloom.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.

Container Gardens

• Begin feeding of Fuchsias (acid food) and other container plants.
• Water daily.
• Feed with liquid fertilizer.
• Deadhead.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.

Kitchen Garden: Vegetables and Herbs

• You can still plant tomatoe, peppers, eggplants, beans, and corn.
• Start that harvest!
• Thin and feed seedlings sown earlier.
• Put stakes or poles or trellises for tall and climing crops.
• Put weeds without seedheads in compost.
• Keep compost damp, like a wrung out sponge.
• Turn compost.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.

Fruit

• Thin fruit, especially apples. Leave about 5 inches between fruits.
• Harvest strawberies.
• Plant citrus.
• Feed new plants, citrus (if you didn't do it last month), and grapes.
• Cover berries with netting to protect from birds.
• Watch for pests and signs of disease.

House, greenhouse, or conservatory plants

• Feed all houseplants.

Other: Structural and Special

To Do Index

Neefer