Gardening In Perth In May

May 5, 2014 Gardening Gals Uncategorized

Rain has finally arrived and there couldn’t be a better time for gardening in Perth in May.  There is still time for plants to become established before the really cold weather hits us.

Vegies to plant in May include – broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, cress, spinach, lettuce, onion, radish, shallots, spring onion and strawberries.

Flowers to plant in May include – cornflower, pansy, poppy, stock, statice, viola and calendula.

May is a great time to attend to the following tasks in the Perth garden:

• Lift and divide clumps of native violets and replant in the shade. Keep soil moist.
• Snap off the flowers of herbs to keep the tasty leaves growing
• Thin overcrowded fruit on apple, pear, citrus and plum trees so the remaining fruit can develop to full size and flavour
• If you have an area of persistent weeds, cover them with a thick layer of overlapping newspapers, then a 5-8cm layer of mulch over that
• Overcrowding of bulbs in containers can look really good so pack them in closer for maximum effect
• Prune bottlebrush once autumn flowering has finished. Prune behind the flower heads
• Now is the perfect time to plant coriander
• Transplant any shrubs that are in the wrong spot or are being crowded out
• Lift and dry garlic and onion once the leaves start dying
• If you find aphids on new shoots, squash or squirt them off with a jet of water
• If you have black spot on roses, remove affected leaves, avoid overhead watering and ensure good light and airflow around plants
• Trim westringia, lillypilly and lemon myrtle hedges
• Move cold-tender indoor plants away from cold windows and cut back on watering in the cooler seasons
• Fertilise a newly planted rose once it puts on about 5cm of new growth
• Water citrus regularly as the fruit is maturing. A lack of water can cause fruit to drop before it reaches full size
• Add slow release fertiliser to pot plants
• Give bulbs plenty of water while growing but stop watering when their leaves start to die down
• Pumpkin is ready to harvest when the stalk attached to the vine starts to whither and change colour

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in May.