May Garden Checklist: Regional Tasks for Peak Spring Gardening

By May, winter's traces have vanished. Last frost dates have passed, blooms surge, and warmer regions should start planning for summer heat—check irrigation, consider reducing lawn. Here's your regional May to-do list.

Regional Checklists

Pacific Northwest

Test irrigation systems now—run each zone 5+ minutes to catch leaks before heat arrives. —Genevieve Schmidt

California

Plant basil now—just a few plants suffice. Choose by scent or taste. —Bill Marken

Southwest

Add flowering plants (cosmos, lavender, marigold, salvia, sunflowers) to vegetable gardens to attract pollinators for beans, cucumbers, melons, squash. —Noelle Johnson

Rocky Mountains

Plant vegetables and tender annuals after frost danger passes. Harden off greenhouse starts. —Jocelyn Chilvers

Texas

With hot, dry summer predicted, reduce lawn size—lawns demand excessive water, fertilizer, labor. —Jenny Peterson

Central Plains

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia, zones 4–8): 12-inch sun-loving, wet-clay perennial with unique blooms. —Benjamin Vogt

Great Lakes

Bearded iris season begins: dwarf early, tall hybrids later. Rebloomers like 'Immortality' (white) and 'Rosalie Figg' (purple) flower again in fall. —Barbara Pintozzi

Northeast

Divide overgrown sun-loving alpines before flowers emerge to protect buds. Prune rampant growth to reduce water competition. —Charlotte Albers

Mid-Atlantic

Tree peonies are blooming—larger flowers than herbaceous types, propagable by layering. Cut for instant minibouquets. —Amy Renea

Southeast

Roses in full swing—prune less in May so they grow taller. —Helen Yoest