Category: Accidental Cottage Garden

To Do in The Garden: May 2026

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, Durham NC, garden tasks, Gardening calendar, Uncategorized

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 GardenerSM 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 4th 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

To Do in the Garden: April 2026

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, Durham NC, Uncategorized

Gary CrispellBy Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Aka: GARY’S GARULOUS GARDENING GUIDE

Well…what can we say about March 2026 except that it was consistently inconsistent. Although, within the inconsistency a certain pattern evolved. The thermometer struggled to keep up with the up and down extremes of the temperature, but by the end of the month the pattern became three days of rising temperatures followed by a steep drop (like 30-40 degrees steep), followed by a three day rise to record highs before another 30 degree drop. The rain, however, did not drop, not a single drop mostly. Our rain gauge indicates 1.27” for the month. I’m pretty sure most of Arizona got more. The Accidental Cottage Garden looks amazing after being blitzed by six (of now my favorite) EMG’s. They were awesome. They cleaned out the beds, pruned some shrubbery, and made merry in the garden. It was both gratifying and humbling to know that they would take time out of their busy lives (and they all have busy lives) to help an EMG in need. EMG’S ARE AWESOME!!

View of a blue house with a side entrance, surrounded by overgrown plants and shrubs. The front yard has a concrete pathway leading to the door, with some landscaping elements visible.
A person kneeling on the ground, pulling weeds in a garden area with green grass and scattered plants.
A woman wearing a blue jumpsuit and a green cap operates a leaf blower while wearing headphones in a wooded backyard.

What a beautiful day as several EMGs work in the cottage garden! (Image credit: Allie Mullin, JennVan Brunt, Allie Mullin)


Now here are some tips to make your garden look awesome.

Lawn Care

Fertilize warm season grasses (Bermuda grass, zoysia) with a high nitrogen slow release fertilizer as they are breaking dormancy now and would really like a good hearty breakfast. Hold off if you have a centipede lawn until late in May. It is no longer mandatory to cease fertilizing cool season lawns (bluegrass, fescue, rye) after mid-March. Use a balanced (10-10-10 or equivalent) fertilizer and be judicious. The window for applying crabgrass preventer may have closed. The colloquial way of remembering when to do that is sometime between the blooming of forsythia and blooming of dogwoods.

Fertilizing

Besides the lawn (see above), it is appropriate to feed any of the shrubbery that you didn’t get around to last month. (It’s ok. Nobody’s judging.)

Planting

A big question mark this year. How optimistic are you? Are you willing to cover stuff if we get a late frost? When the overnight temperature quits dipping into the thirties, the soil temp will soon enough get warm enough to plant melons, squash, pumpkins, cucumber, and corn from seed. Save the okra for the end of the month. You can transplant tomatoes and peppers. Be sure to plant enough to share with friends and with folks whose thumbs might not be so green and those whose homes might be real portable. They like fresh produce, too. Warm season grasses can be planted in April. Most need to be sodded or plugged/sprigged. Seeding is either not available or not generally successful. Check out the NCSU TurfFiles web site for all things grass in North Carolina.

Dried wildflowers with small white blossoms against a blurred green background.
A light green ceramic pot filled with vibrant green succulent plants, surrounded by dried grasses.

Whether in a pot or in the yard, spring is a time for flowering plants and new growth! (Image credit: Allie Mullin)

Pruning

Remove any winter damage from trees and shrubs. Leave spring flowering shrubs like azaleas, lilac (Syringa sps.), forsythia, spiraea, etc. alone until after they have finished blooming. Prune berry bearing plants such as hollies (Ilex sps.) and pyracantha while they are in bloom so you can judge how much of this year’s berry crop you are removing. Prune flowering cherry (Prunus sps.) and redbuds (Cercis sps.) as needed.

Two individuals gardening together, focused on pruning plants in a community garden setting, with dry flower heads visible in the foreground.
Two women outdoors, one playfully sticking her tongue out while holding a tool, surrounded by piles of yard debris with trees and houses in the background.

Enthusiastic EMG pruners visit the ACG and practice their pruning skills. (Image credit: Allie Mullin, Jenn VanBrunt)

Spraying

It is open season on azalea lace bugs, boxwood leaf miners, euonymus and tea scales and spider mites. Spray only as needed preferably with an organic product and ALWAYS read and follow label instructions. Spray iris beds for borers. Treat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) for worms. Spray squash plants weekly near the base from now until the first of June for borers. Spray apple and pear trees with streptomycin to control fire blight. Spray once at bud opening and again at full bloom. In rainy weather a third application might be necessary.
Begin weekly fruit tree spray program after bloom petals fall.

Other Things to Keep You Outside When It’s Way Too Nice to be Inside

There is always mulch. There are many options and much depends on your aesthetic preferences. There is pine bark in its many guises and single, double and triple shredded hardwood. Decorative stone next to the house if you are concerned about termites. Pine straw (needles) looks great in natural areas. There is dyed pallet chips (if you must) and wheat straw is good around the vegetable garden. All of them help retain soil moisture and cut down on the number of weeds. Total weed elimination is a myth. They are both prolific and tenacious. Besides pulling them by hand is therapeutic provided you can get back up afterward.

Here’s a thought. Let’s just sit outside and revel in nature unveiling herself yet again. I mean sometimes it might require a cold beverage of some sort and other times in April it might take hot chocolate and a fire pit, but either way it’s a celebration of April in North Carolina. Happy Spring, y’all.

Time for a rest to enjoy the the Accidental Cottage Garden in all its glory! (Image credit: Allie Mullin )

Additional Reading and Resources

Join the NC State Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Durham County for our annual Plant Sale to find expert guidance and reliable, well-grown plants for the season. https://www.backyardtreasuresplantsale.org/

NC Extension has some more tips for the Spring Gardener: https://gardening.ces.ncsu.edu/garden-calendars/timely-tips-for-spring-in-the-piedmont-central-nc/

To learn more about growing healthy gardens in the Piedmont regions of North Carolina visit: https://sites.google.com/ncsu.edu/piedmont-spring-garden/home

The Virginia Cooperative Extension provides information on the types of mulch, their purpose, and how to avoid common problems related to mulch. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/SPES/spes-661/spes-661.html#:~:text=If%20using%20mulch%20with%20small,contribute%20to%20the%20tree’s%20longevity.

Shortlink: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7h7

Editor: Martha Engelke