Stay on track with essential gardening activities for this month, including planting, pruning, lawn care, and seasonal maintenance tasks.

Lawn Care

Seed Bermuda.  Fertilize Bermuda and Zoysia lawns with complete fertilizer.   Mow lawns approximately 2 inches high.  Do not remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade at each mowing.  Consider using the mulching blade on the mower.

Prune

Climbing roses at the end of the month. Early May is a good time to cut back any woody perennials that need it, such as rosemary, rue, lavender, and Artemisia. Prune spring-flowering shrubs (azaleas, flowering quince, Forsythia, and Loropetalum) soon after they finish flowering, but only if they need it. To keep them from looking like a meatball, follow the taller branches down into the shrub and cut just above a joint.

Water deeply during weeks with less than 1 inch of rain. Stake tall plants. Don’t let weeds get started in the garden — take control early with mulches and proactive management.

Take Hydrangea cuttings and let them root in coarse sand.  Spray for leaf rollers that disfigure your cannas. For an organic approach, use products containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The nonorganic active ingredient Carbaryl, sold most often as Sevin, is very effective as well. Both should be sprayed only once the caterpillar is present and after each rain or when new caterpillar damage is noticed. Care must be taken to get the insecticide down into the rolled-up leaves where the caterpillars are feeding. Remove seed pods from bulbs and irises.

Events

Experience Memphis Gardens Kicks off May 1 and continues through June 14th. The Cooper Young Garden Walk portion of the event is particularly festive and runs for two days, May 16-17.  One ticket is good for all tour days, and it is free this year.  Get to know your city from Soulsville to Collierville while experiencing remarkable gardens. Go to experiencememphisgardens.org.