Gardening tips and advice: May 2025

This month, our gardening tips are brought to you by our gardening team, including gardeners with learning disabilities. Being outside and working with nature is beneficial for us all, but for some of the people supported at Furzey Gardens, it’s truly life-changing.

Robert and Marc are part of our gardening team at Furzey Gardens and they have been tending to our cottage garden and are excited about the produce they are growing from seed. The team have been planting sunflowers, tomatoes, cauliflowers, broad beans and courgettes. Robert has a top tip to share:

‘I think people should make a plan and consider companion planting. Come and see the cottage garden to see what we have done.’ Robert also wants to share a step they have been taking elsewhere in the garden. ‘We didn’t want to have bonfires, so we have been putting our winter cuttings into dead hedges to help the wildlife.’

Marc also has some advice for everyone. ‘I think people should be weeding. I enjoy planting and watering.’

Here are some gardening jobs you can enjoy this month in your own green space:

With the warmth of May, weeds can grow almost overnight. Stay on top of them by hoeing beds and borders regularly on dry days or pulling them up by hand. Focus especially on persistent ones like bindweed and ground elder before they get a firm hold.

Mulching around your plants with compost or bark will help to suppress weeds and keep moisture in the soil. Mulching is a regular activity for the team here at Furzey and certainly does help to keep on top of those weeds.  

Paulownia Tomentosa, Foxglove tree

Now that the risk of frost is mostly behind us, May is planting season at its best. You can:

Fill gaps in borders with hardy annuals like cornflowers and marigolds for colour through the summer.

Add summer bedding plants such as geraniums, cosmos and begonias to pots and containers.

Plant tender vegetables like runner beans, courgettes and sweetcorn outside. Consider companion planting to minimise the damage from unwanted pests. At Furzey we have been planting nasturtiums alongside our broad beans. Broad beans are particularly susceptible to blackfly and by planting nasturtiums next to them it should encourage the blackfly to the nasturtiums rather than the broad beans. Nasturtium leaves are a favourite food of blackfly.

Keep an eye on your newly planted specimens and make sure they are getting enough moisture during dry spells. Watering regularly will help them establish strong root systems. Containers dry out quickly in the wind, so make sure you keep on top of their watering needs.

Many shrubs and climbers are putting on strong growth now. Tie in new shoots of sweet peas, clematis and roses to supports before they get too unruly. Use soft twine and be gentle — tender stems can snap easily.

Also, keep a close eye on perennials like delphiniums and lupins. Support them early with stakes or plant supports to avoid damage in summer winds.

As nature wakes up, so do the pests. Slugs and snails love the young, tender shoots of hostas, dahlias and lupins. Set beer traps, sprinkle barriers of crushed eggshells, or simply hand-pick them in the evening.

Aphids can be dealt with by encouraging natural predators like ladybirds — or give plants a brisk shake or a squirt of water to dislodge them.

If you are growing lilies or fritillaries, watch out for the lily beetle. They have bright red wing casing and are brown on their underside whilst the grubs are reddish brown. Both adult and grubs are capable of stripping your plant back to a few short stems. The best way to deal with them is to pick them off by hand and dispose of them.

Large rhododendron in front of Furzey Tea Rooms

May is the perfect month to give your lawn a boost. Mowing regularly with the blades set higher helps the grass to stay lush, consider adding a feed with a spring lawn fertiliser, it will do wonders to encourage rich green growth.

If you’re following ‘No Mow May’, leave at least part of your lawn uncut. It’s brilliant for bees and butterflies, and you’ll be surprised how beautiful a wild corner can be.

There’s a real sense of wonder throughout the gardens in May and it really is the best time to visit. Our azaleas and rhododendrons are in full, glorious bloom, offering every shade from delicate white to the boldest pink and deepest purple. The wet winter, followed by warm sunshine throughout April has meant that many of our plants are flowering a few weeks earlier than we expect them to, you may have made similar observations in your own gardens.

Throughout the gardens there is a kaleidoscope of colour for visitors to enjoy .

Among the highlights:

Rhododendron Cynthia, one of our oldest rhododendrons in the garden has been looking glorious. This tall tree drapes beautifully over the path and as you walk through you will be able to enjoy hundreds of bold pinkish/red blooms all the way up to the highest branches. As the petals fall they create a beautiful pink carpet for visitors to walk across.

Rhododendron and azaleas are certainly the standout feature of our garden during  May, however there are other highlights not to be missed. We have a wonderful collection of spring flowering trees and shrubs including several young specimens of Paulownia Tomentosa, also known as the foxglove or empress tree, look out for the lilac/purple flowers which grow in large panicles. Elsewhere, Enkianthus campanulatus is a delight with small bell-shaped flowers that are very popular with our local bees.

A particular favourite at this time of year is the sight of the giant-leaved Gunnera leaves  beginning their dramatic growth,  whilst alongside our shady pathways shuttlecock ferns are unfurling in their fresh, bright greens. The contrast of greens against the bright colourful blooms of our plant collection is truly uplifting.

All around the garden, preparations are underway for the arrival of our big summer trail. From 24 May, until 31 August, you can step back in time and go on a roaring adventure discovering prehistoric creatures  at every turn. Kids are sure to enjoy becoming an official dinosaur ranger!

We hope you’ll join us at Furzey Gardens this May, mid week is a particularly good time to visit when there are less crowds and the pathways are calm and quiet.  We’re open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm, and it’s a wonderful time to explore our secret spaces, discover hidden corners, and enjoy the unfolding beauty of the season.

And after your adventures, why not relax with a cup of tea and a slice of cake at our thatched-roof tearoom? There’s no better place to celebrate the magic of May.

We look forward to seeing you.

This article originally appeared as the monthly In The Garden column in the Lymington Times, buy the paper on the second Friday of every month to read the next column first.