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Writer's pictureBelinda McLintock

May - The Final Autumn Touches.

Updated: May 17


May is a time for us flower farmers to regroup and finish planning for Spring.  If you have sowed your seeds for spring it may be time to plant into bigger pots or in warmer areas out into the garden.  If you

haven’t sowed yet, please do so in the next two weeks.


Your spring flowering bulbs will be growing now and remember to feed and water them regularly for a magnificent early spring display.


For your perennial garden it’s time to cut back on watering, weed and mulch for the upcoming cold and let them rest.  Use the leaves from your deciduous trees to cover the soil in your beds, this will protect your plants and the soil and create a lovely humus rich soil.


Tree trimming and shaping is best to do now, especially crown lifting to allow light and air flow into your beds.


This autumn has been unusually warm in South Africa so please ensure you keep up the moisture to help your plants survive through the drier months ahead, you will need to cut down on your watering once the cold arrives.


If you are fortunate enough to have peonies in your garden it’s time to cut back the leaves and discard them, do not compost them due to a risk of spreading fungus in your garden, I usually leave a few cm of the stem, so you are able to see where they are. Mulch around them but not over the plant as they need the cold to produce beautiful flowers in spring. After cutting back I spray the stalks and soil around with a fungicide to reduce the chance of fungal spores overwintering and the new shoots picking them up when they emerge in August. Continue to add some moisture to the soil but not too much due to the risk of the rhizomes rotting.


Get your garden tools serviced and sharpened now for when you will need to prune at the end of winter.





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