Gardening tips for May

Autumn is one of the best times of the year to get out in the garden here in Perth. The days are usually still quite sunny but aren’t scorching hot, meaning you can spend a good day doing jobs outside without the heat taking its toll.

Here’s our list of jobs you should aim to complete in the garden this May in Perth:

• If you haven’t already, deadhead your roses and apply a fertilizer to encourage a final flowering. You should also spray them for mildew and black spot.
• Keep on top of falling leaves by raking them up regularly and adding them to your compost bin if you have one. If they are large leaves, break them up by running over them with your lawnmower before putting in the compost.
• When mowing your lawn, leave it a little longer than usual to help it cope better with the cooler conditions.
• Strawberries should be tidied up, weeded and fed well.
• Deciduous fruit trees that are losing their leaves need to be sprayed with lime sulphur.
• Make sure you adjust your reticulation as the days cool down and as rain approaches.
• Lawn beetles will be getting ready to emerge in winter, so you should aim to control them now before they do any major damage.
• As the weather cools down, you can water indoor plants less. Make sure you use tepid rather than cold water, and move sensitive plants away from cold windows.
• Keep an eye out for rust on frangipani trees, which appears as yellow bumps on the underside of leaves. Badly affected leaves should be removed or spray with a fungicide.
• Autumn is an ideal time to plant potatoes, citrus trees, camellias, coriander, English spinach and garlic.
• If you are thinking about laying new turf, you should do this in Autumn to allow it to settle in over the cooler and wetter months.
• Lawns will also benefit from a good application of lawn feeder at this time of year.