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May – MrT’s Gardening Year 2026 – Episode 05
May, the end of spring and a hint of summer.
Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast:
Extremely dry:
Another month of very dry weather with just a few damp days. The soil really is very dry. Mrs T dug out a weed in the lawn and the top 6 to 8 inches of soil were dust.
The lilac was the last of the flowering trees and kept going until the azaleas and rhododendrons peaked. Then the the mock orange with its white flowers and beautiful scent.
The deutzia is the last of our spring flowering shrubs.
The flowering shrubs lasted much of the month but were finished off by the arrival of the summer’s first heatwave at the end of the month.
Vegetables and fruit:
The third sowing of lettuce failed, the slugs and snails seem to dine well whilst Mrs T and myself have to rely on the supermarket. To be buying lettuce at the end of May is a first! Not a first I’m proud of.
The rocket is growing well however the leaves ae being attacked by the minute flea beetles that leave holes in the leaves. They should recover later in the summer. I wonder if the flea beatles are enjoying this very peppery variety.
The lack of rain followed by the heat wave finished off the leaf beet – it bolted virtually overnight.
Elsewhere in the garden:
The oxeye daisies in the front lawn are showing veery well. I wonder how well they will last in the very hot weather.
Listen to the podcast to hear all about my gardening month.
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Music:
AKM Music licenses Horticulture for use in this podcast.
