Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener ^SM volunteer of Durham County

Ahh, May. The lovely month. The month for mothers, proms, college graduations, and the first great beach weekend—Memorial Day. It is generally not too hot and rarely too cool. The month of balmy days that lead to enchanting evenings on the veranda (deck, patio, veranda—whatever). Enjoy the evening. There’s gardening to be done on the morrow.

A garden scene featuring purple irises and various colorful flowers surrounded by lush greenery under a clear blue sky.

Despite the drought, the ACG springs to life. The purple of the iris (Iris germanica) shines against a bright blue sky. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

Speaking of the morrow, there’s sooo much to be done in the Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG). Being essentially out of commission for six months puts one rather much behind gardening wise. Nature continues on no matter what your condition. We were most fortunate to have 7 generous and caring Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers descend upon the ACG and clean it up in preparation for spring. Never were friends more welcome. The reward for their efforts is a plethora of blooming plants. There are flax (Linum vesitatissimum), dianthus (Dianthus deltoides), rocket larkspur (Delphinium ajacis), English daisy (Bella perennis), and false vervain (Verbena canadensis) which will be around all summer. The iris (Iris germanica) were amazing. Some of them had been in 3 gallon nursery pots since we moved eight years ago. I think they were overjoyed to get their roots into something other than C-horizon subsoil.

A vibrant garden scene featuring clusters of colorful flowers, including the red, pink, and white blooms of sweet William plants surrounded by green foliage and brown mulch.

Close-up of a gallardia flower--a vibrant pink and yellow flower with pointed petals, surrounded by green foliage.

(Left to right) Cottage garden staples, multicolored sweet Williams are popping, and the always drought resistant, tried-and true-gallardia has returned. (Image credit: Gary Crispell; Melinda Heigel)

The gallardia (Gallardia pulcherella) has also begun its summer-long show, while the peonies (Paeonia suffruticossa x hybrid) came and went in less than a week—too hot and dry, I reckon. What we really enjoy right now are the many-hued sweet Williams (Dianthus barbadus). They just cover the white/pink/red/violet spectrum.

This year’s experiment (There’s always one.) will be with a lot of zinnia (Zinnia elegans) seeds and not quite as many cosmos (C. bipinnatus & C. sulphureus). Going for the cut flower thing. I wanted to sow them a month ago, but I have (like everyone else) been waiting for rain. Now that we’ve had some, let’s go play in the garden!

Lawn Care

Warm season grass people, it is your turn. If you didn’t fertilize the lawn in April, get to it. A good slow-release fertilizer that meets the requirements notated in your SOIL TEST results is in order. Also, sharpen those mower blades.

Cool season grass folks, just mow it, but not less than 3”. Do not, he repeated, fertilize cool season grasses until fall.

Fertilizing

Speaking of fertilizing; long-season vegetable crops like tomatoes, beans, and squash (among others) will benefit from a side dressing¹ 6-8 weeks after germination. (What?! You didn’t start your own from seed? You bought plants at a Big Box? Give them a week or two in the ground and then side dress.)

While you have the bag open throw some fert at your summer annuals and perennials, too.

Azaleas and rhododendrons and camellias and other ericaceous (acid loving) plants will benefit from a shot of acid fertilizer about now.

Planting

May is the second best time in the veggie garden. (Everybody knows harvest is the best time.) It is time to plant beans (snap, pole, bush limas, etc.), cantaloupe, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, southern peas, peppers sweet and hot, pumpkins, squash, watermelon and, for you non-competitive types, tomatoes.

Gladioli bulbs may be planted now as may begonias, geraniums and other annuals that you didn’t plant in late April.

Pruning

A photo of a hot pink azalea bush in full bloom with dark green leaves and a photo of a spent camellia bloom, now brown, surrounded by glossy dark-green leaves.

A wilted brown flower surrounded by green leaves.

May is a good time for pruning late-winter and spring-blooming woody plants like camellias and camellias–once the bloom show has ceased.(Image credit:Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; Cathy DeWitt CC BY 4.0)

Spring-flowering shrubs (e.g. azaleas, camellias, etc.) may be pruned as soon as the blooms fade. Azaleas may be pruned until the 4^th of July without cutting off next year’s buds.

Overgrown hedges can still be pruned.

Keep pinching back garden mums until mid-July.

Hand prune azalea and camellia leaf galls. They are generally not harmful to the plant but are most unattractive.

I realize your grandmother always cut back the daffodils and iris and other spring bulbs as soon as the flowers faded. I urge you to resist the temptation to carry on that tradition. The bulbs need that foliage to make the sugars that will provide the energy to bloom again next year. Wait until the foliage itself yellows before whacking it off and relegating it to the compost heap. The bulbs thank you.

Spraying

Monitor rhododendron species including azaleas for borers. Spray if necessary.

Spray iris beds for iris borers which you probably will not see.

Scout for and spray as necessary for bag worms. They are on the move this month.

May is a good time to begin to try to eliminate poison ivy/oak (Rhus radicans) and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Best wishes.

Begin spraying squash vines for borers.

Monitor the blueberry plants for borers. Spray as necessary.

Continue the never-ending spray programs for roses, fruit trees and bunch grapes.

Other insect pests active now include azalea lace bugs, boxwood leaf miners, euonymus and tea scales, spider mites (especially on coniferous evergreens), the ubiquitous aphids, and the bane of my gardening existence–white flies.

If (or more likely when) your tomatoes show signs of blight begin a fungicide regimen.

Always, always only spray when necessary and READ & FOLLOW label directions.

OTHER THINGS TO DO IN MAY THAT COULD QUITE POSSIBLY INCLUDE THE GARDEN

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with mariachis and an appropriate libation (and friends, of course).

Mulch stuff. You and the plants will be much happier through the summer (of drought and water restrictions?).

Perhaps Sunday afternoon tea on the veranda (or wine and cheese–nobody’s judging.)

Put out a flag on Memorial Day and thank a veteran.

A most merry May, Y’all.

Notes

1–Side dressing refers to the placement of fertilizer alongside plant rows or plants. This is typically done once plants have started to grow.

Resources and Additional Information

Caring for spring bulbs after flowering

Tips on pruning camellias

Fundamentals of fertilizing

How to direct sew flower seed in spring

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener ^SM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7rV

By Melinda Heigel, with Lissa Lutz, Lisa Nadler, and Bev Tisci, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers of Durham County

Our annual Friends of Durham County Master Gardener plant sale is in the books! If you joined us on April 11th for the big event, we want to offer you a little behind the scenes intel about what it takes to bring you some of the gorgeous plants you purchased and revisit the day through the stunning images of our Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer and photojournalist Allie Mullin. If you weren’t there, we want to whet your appetite for 2027!

A large group of diverse individuals smiling together in an indoor setting, wearing green aprons, standing in front of tables filled with various plants in pots.

Just a fraction of the Extension Master Gardener volunteers responsible for bringing you over 4,000 plants at our recent annual plant sale. Here, the group is smiling and excited to serve just minutes before the sale begins. (Image credit: Allie Mullin)

Plant Sale Success: It’s All in the Setup

Two women examining plant information while standing in front of a display of potted plants.

A woman carrying a tray of young plants in plastic pots, walking through a corridor with wooden doors and plant displays.

Volunteers transported, unloaded, set up, and labeled all the plants in just one day prior to the sale. (Image credit: Allie Mullin)

It literally takes a community of Extension Master Gardener volunteers to put on a blockbuster plant sale. Over 75 volunteers and multiple teams with expertise in every imaginable area spent a year preparing for one Saturday-morning event! Plant sale Co-Chair Lissa Lutz credits the success of this year’s event to these volunteers. As a dedicated, long-time coordinator of the sale, she shared this year saw “a core group of seasoned veterans but also new ideas and tremendous depth of expertise offered by new team members. A few of their novel approaches and accomplishments for the 2026 sale included the following. (To be sure, there were tons more….)

The Vegetable Team offered more plants for sale than ever before and introduced new compact varieties to work in smaller-sized environments.
The Houseplants Team tweaked their plant curation and offered the most appropriate plants–all in unique pots.
The Native Plant Team had a dedicated group of seed starters who produced an astonishing selection of native plants, many from locally collected seeds.
The Propagation Team multiplied the bounty and contributed unique, well-tended plants to this year’s event.
The Plant Divisions Team potted up countless robust, consistent quality flats.
The Communications Teams got out the word in advance about our inventory so shoppers could make a wish list.
Both the Volunteer Management and Hospitality Teams made sure that our plant pros were fresh, available, and standing by to help you in any way.
The Checkout Team efficiently checked out shoppers with a new pricing system based on container size that hopefully simplified the customer experience.

Additional Innovations that Made the 2026 Plant Sale Sizzle

A person holding plant information sheets, showcasing various flowers with descriptions, indoor setting with a white brick wall and greenery in the background.

A woman wearing a green apron stands by a table with potted plants, engaging with two people in a gardening workshop setting.

(Left to right) This year we wanted you to have a better look at what you were buying. Clearer plant signs with photos and easy-to-read details enhanced the shoppers’ experience. Our plant sale Co-Chair Marcia Kirinus was dedicated solely to ensuring we were offering the best plants possible. (Image credit: Allie Mullin)

Enhanced Signage. We introduced new signage throughout the sale that gave our shoppers more consistent information on all plants and veggies complete with growing conditions, interesting plant facts, and photos of mature/blooming specimens. We even designated keystone plants, a sub-category of native plants that are essential to the local food web.
Quality Assurance Leader. Plant sale Co-Chair Marcia Kirinus filled a new role this year as our quality assurance “czar.” With her years of experience in professional and research greenhouses along with her Master Gardner volunteer bona fides, she shared her knowledge with all our our volunteer growers to produce the highest quality plants. This included setting up light carts for seed starting to the final trimming and pruning to make each plant look its best. She was instrumental in teaching all seed starters, new and experienced, how to grow the healthiest, hardiest plants.
Customer service enhancements. More volunteer runners helped shoppers to their cars with their plants. Another novel idea? The plant parking lot. We also introduced a new holding area where shoppers could “park” plants they intended to buy while they continued to browse and shop.

Sale Day Excitement

If you know Carly Simon’s tune “Anticipation,” hum it to yourself when surveying the photos below. While the line for the sale lived up to its reputation (our first customer arrived at 8:30 am for the 10:00 am start), many Extension Master Gardener volunteers were on hand to check lists of plants for our customers, hand out free seeds, answer a host of gardening inquires, and keep the crowd pumped up.

There were all sorts of folks–those with a printed and highlighted list of plants they wanted to take home, new gardeners looking to build a landscape, veggie lovers searching for just the right tomato, and simply the plant curious. Those in line enjoyed the beauty of our award-winning Demo Garden and wanted to find some of the garden specimens inside at the sale to take home. Without doubt, the mood was celebratory for the more than 320 community members who showed up to shop for plants and support our mission.

What those in line couldn’t see was the excitement of the volunteers huddling up for one last briefing before the sale began. Our plant sale volunteers, (Volunteer Management Team leader Lisa Nadler rocking her signature whirligig hat below) had efficiently staged over 4,000 plants in one day, and Nadler placed our plant experts strategically throughout the sale to assist you. And of course, all those plants lined up and ready to make their debut.

A long line of people wrapping around a garden. People are holding cardboard boxes. Two men sitting in an ornamental garden setting at an info table with a sign reading "Ask A Master Gardener." A smiling woman standing in a line. A group of diverse people wearing aprons being briefed by a woman in a propeller hat. A table with green table cloth full of lush green vegetable plants.

(Image credit: Allie Mullin)

Ready, Set, Shop!

A man surrounded by lush green plants at a plant sale holds a cardboard box. A smiling woman holding a tray of potted green plants. A group of people gathered around tables indoors shopping for potted plants. A woman in a hijab admiring plants with two women in the background looking on. Volunteer sit at a table, one giving a woman holding a box of plants a thumbs up sign. Two women in green aprons behind a table talking with a woman on the opposite side of table. Smiling woman in green apron talkings with another woman.

Full boxes and full hearts. Volunteers and community shoppers interact at the sale. (Lower right) Vegetable Team leader Bev Tisci shares her expertise and the joy of growing edibles. (Image credit: Allie Mullin)

As the sale began, the atmosphere inside the building was electric with smiles all around. As you stepped inside, the fantastic scents of the veggie and herb room tickled your nose long before you reached its threshold. The vast abundance of plants, some of which were in full spring bloom, were a “masterpiece for the eyes” according to one native plant fan.

Bev Tisci, Leader of the Veggie Team and Seed Starters Group had a ball educating community members about growing edibles and introducing the new mini-vegetables. After consulting with one shopper who picked up a couple of plants and went on her way, Tisci recalled the woman later returned and jokingly yelled out to her, “I used to like you!” Puzzled, Tisci asked, “Oh, no! What did I do?” The laughing shopper showed her a box brimming with plants–far more than she’d ever intended to purchase. Like all plant lovers, she just couldn’t resist and left the sale excited about all the vegetables she be eating later this summer.

The Proof is in the Plants–and People

A woman wearing a light blue shirt is examining small potted plants on a table in a brightly lit room, while others are visible in the background.

Sign on the door of the Durham County Agriculture Building indicating that the plant sale is over, thanking visitors, and stating 'See you next year!'

(Left to right) Plant sale Co-Chair Lissa Lutz busy prepping for the sale. After a banner sell-out, we closed the 2026 sale with gratitude. (Image credit: Allie Mullin)

Thanks to both our community of Extension Master Gardener volunteers and the overwhelming support of Durham plant enthusiasts, this year’s event was the most successful yet. The proceeds of the sale will fund our work of providing research-based gardening education to the residents of Durham County and beyond. Reflecting on the event since the dust has settled, Co-Chair Lissa Lutz, put it this way:

“The plant sale really exemplifies the spirit of the Master Gardener community, with so many people coming together in so many different ways, each offering time and talents that together creates a whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts. It is for this reason that I continue to play a role in this crazy-amazing event!”

We can’t wait to see you at next spring’s sale. Keep an eye out on our website’s plant sale tab on our menu where we’ll be posting our 2027 date.

Resources and Additional Information

Keystone Plants From Our 2026 Plant Sale

Mini or Compact Vegetables

3-Part Series: Starting Seeds Indoors with a Light Cart–Article 1, Article 2, Article 3

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master Gardener ^SMvolunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7ox