May in the garden: The joyous rush of growth
Cotswolds Garden 6th May 2025
After the slow unfurling of spring, May arrives in the garden like a burst of energy. The days are longer, the light is brighter, and the soil is finally warming beneath our feet. For gardeners, this is one of the most exciting months of the year - full of potential, colour, and good honest work.
As a UK gardener, May feels like the starting gun. Everything is growing, and fast! It's a month of planting, sowing, weeding, feeding, and a bit of dreaming too. Here's a deeper look at what I'm doing in my garden this month:
Table of Contents
Planting Out Tender Crops - At Last!
May is the month I've been waiting for: when those pampered seedlings finally get to stretch their roots in the real world. After weeks - sometimes months - of nurturing indoors or in the greenhouse, I'm planting out tomatoes, courgettes, French beans, runner beans, sweetcorn, squash, and chillies.
But timing is everything. Here in the UK, we're not entirely out of the woods when it comes to frost, especially in the first half of May. So I harden off my plants first - gradually acclimating them to outdoor life over 7-10 days. A few hours outside during the day at first, then overnight in a sheltered spot, until they're ready to plant out without sulking.
My tomatoes go into large pots or growbags in the greenhouse or a sunny patio, while beans and squash head into well-composted beds with plenty of room to sprawl or climb. And courgettes? I give them a prime sunny position with space to spread their wings - and watch them turn into monsters in weeks!
Successional Sowing - Keep the Harvests Coming
While the earlier sowings are growing away nicely, I'm keeping the momentum going by sowing new batches of fast-maturing crops: lettuce, rocket, radishes, spring onions, beetroot, and carrots. By sowing little and often, I avoid gluts and enjoy a constant harvest throughout summer.
May is also a great time to sow climbing beans directly into the soil - just make sure you've got wigwams or trellis in place. I like to mix varieties for interest: purple podded beans, yellow wax beans, and reliable green runners all jostling together.
Indoors or under cover, I'm still starting off cucumbers, basil, and dwarf French beans - especially if the nights are still cool. A heated propagator is handy for these late-starters.
The Flower Borders Wake Up
It's not just about veg - the flower garden is coming alive, too. May is when the herbaceous borders start to strut their stuff. Aquilegia, alliums, geums, and early roses are showing their colours (included Wisley 2008 pictured at the top of this page), and the first buds of peonies and irises are ready to burst.
This is the time to plant out summer bedding - cosmos, zinnias, nicotiana, marigolds, and salvias - once the risk of frost has passed. I often use them to fill in gaps left by fading spring bulbs. Speaking of which...
Dealing with Dying Bulbs
Those daffodils and tulips that lit up the garden in March and April are now going over. It's tempting to tidy them away, but resist! I deadhead spent flowers to stop energy going into seed production, but I leave the foliage alone. That green strap-like foliage is still photosynthesising, feeding the bulb so it can bloom again next year.
I usually let them die back naturally for 6-8 weeks before lifting or tidying, and I sometimes tuck the leaves under other plants to disguise them.
Weed Watch and Mulch Madness
With warmth and moisture, weeds can appear overnight - cheeky things! I make a habit of walking the garden daily and pulling out anything unwanted while it's still small. It's oddly satisfying, like a morning meditation with muddy hands.
To keep weeds in check and moisture in the soil, I'm spreading a good layer of mulch around perennials, veg beds, and fruit bushes. I use compost from my own heap where I can, or well-rotted manure for hungry crops like pumpkins and beans. It also gives the beds a lovely finished look.
Supporting the Floppers and Climbers
There's a moment in May when everything shoots up - and then promptly flops over in a gust of wind or heavy rain. So I'm getting ahead of the chaos by staking now rather than later. Tall perennials like delphiniums, peonies, and lupins get supports early, while climbers like sweet peas and clematis are gently tied in as they stretch skyward.
It's much easier to do this now while you can still see what's going on, rather than trying to wrestle an 80cm peony back into place in June!
Feeding the Hungry
May is a time of rapid growth, and plants are hungrier than ever. I'm feeding container plants once a week with a balanced liquid feed, and giving tomatoes and cucumbers a high-potash fertiliser to encourage fruiting.
I also add slow-release fertiliser pellets to pots and hanging baskets to keep them going through the season. For my leafy veg like lettuce and spinach, a liquid seaweed or nitrogen-rich feed keeps them lush.
Watering Wisely
With unpredictable UK weather, watering can be a balancing act. If it's dry, I water deeply but less often - encouraging roots to grow down rather than linger near the surface. I try to water early in the morning to reduce evaporation and avoid disease.
I also make sure containers don't dry out - particularly new plantings that haven't yet established deep roots.
Welcoming Wildlife
The garden is buzzing with life in May - quite literally. I've seen bees on the comfrey, hoverflies on the marigolds, and ladybirds patrolling the aphid population. I leave a few nettle patches and wild corners untouched to support beneficial insects, and I've topped up the birdbath and cleaned the feeders to keep our feathered visitors happy.
Hedgehogs and frogs are emerging too (spotted a frog hiding away in the compost heap yesterday), and they're more than welcome to feast on slugs. I try to avoid chemical pesticides and instead focus on building a balanced garden ecosystem.
Sitting Back - Just for a Minute
It's tempting to keep moving in May, with so much to do. But I try to make time to sit with a cup of coffee, breathe in the scent of lilacs and early roses, and simply look. The garden in May is pure magic - fresh, vibrant, full of possibility.
I always keep a notebook or phone nearby to jot down ideas or capture what's working (or not). May is a generous teacher in the garden, and it sets the tone for everything that follows.
Final Thoughts
Gardening in May is a bit like conducting an orchestra - everything is starting to play at once. It can be overwhelming at times, but it's also the most rewarding, joy-filled time to be outside. Whether I'm planting out the last beans, tying in roses, or just watching the bees, I'm grateful every day for what the garden gives back.
So here's to muddy fingers, full trugs, and the sweet scent of growth. May the garden bring you as much joy this month as it brings me.
