May Garden Calendar: Plan, Plant, Protect, Maintain

Plan

Order fall-planting bulbs now—catalogs arriving. Early orders get discounts and reserved selections (shipped at proper planting time). Plant annuals in future bulb spots; replace with bulbs when frost kills annuals.

Plant

• Dwarf blue spruce: Standard Colorado blue spruces (Picea pungens glauca 'Fat Albert', 'Hoopsii') get large. For small spaces: 'Globe' (3×3 ft), 'Globosa' (5×6 ft), 'Montgomery' (5×5 ft). Greg Foreman recommends 'Mesa Verde' (1½×4 ft, slow, spreading, no winter burn on south slopes).
• Tomato seedlings: Two weeks after last frost. See garden-to-table guide for heirlooms, tips, recipes.
• Wave petunias: Containers/beds, wide adaptability, many colors/stripes, some fragrant. Single plant fills whiskey barrel at 3–4 ft wide.

Protect

• Brown-headed ash sawfly: Small black-wasp relatives lay eggs on ash leaf edges, causing puckering. Signs: skeletonized leaves, robins swarming, raspy chewing sound. Control: blast pale green larvae off with car-wash nozzle on hose.
• Late frost prep: Foxtail lilies, hostas, lilies, peonies sprouts die in spring frost. Cover with bucket/nursery pot when freezing forecast; remove immediately after threat. Large tender plants: old sheet or floating row cover.

Maintain

• Fertilize ornamentals: Rake off old organic mulch to compost. Broadcast organic fertilizer per label on herbs, perennials, roses, shrubs, vines. Spread 2–3 in. quality compost/well-rotted manure between plants. Lay 4–6 in. fresh mulch. Rock/gravel beds: leave mulch, top-dress fertilizer + 1–2 in. fine compost, add new rock to bare spots.
• Rose-pruning shortcut: When leaves appear on hybrid tea/floribunda, cut all blackened canes. Power trimmer (1-in. gap) to shear bush: upward strokes on sides, one pass over top removing ~½ previous growth. Produces more flowers than cane-by-cane. Then fertilize and begin regular watering.