May brings so much gardening excitement,
from Mother's Day Ideas to Fuchsia Planting!

May brings beautiful blooms, rapid growth, and a gardener’s to-do list that grows as well. But that’s okay if you’re one of those people who loves to dig your hands into the soil, as time spent in your garden can be some of the most rewarding time of all. Here are some tips to get you going.

• Green Ways To Say “I love you, Mom!” You’ll find plenty of great gift ideas for Mom at your Fred Meyer Garden Center. From new gardening tools to helpful books to hanging baskets overflowing with premium plants, what better place to go shopping for Mom! Click for Ideas
• Lawn Care If you’ve let your lawn go some this spring and haven’t started cutting it regularly yet, remember this rule of green thumb: don’t cut more than a third of the grasses’ blade length at one time. And if you haven’t had time to give your lawn a boost with a high nitrogen fertilizer, do so now.
• Plant Fuchsias Anytime during the month of May (if you live in a colder region, wait until toward the end of the month). Fuchsias favor partial shade as a rule. Click to find out about saving money by planting your own fuchsia baskets.
• Improve Your Soil With Each Plant You Put In When working in your garden beds this month, always mix in amendments to improve your soil. By adding organic matter with every plant you put in, you make that job something that’s easy to do a little at a time.
• Remove Faded Blooms From Your Rhodys Immediately after flowers fade, remove what’s left of the blooms so your rhododendron’s energy is channeled into active growth. Rhody blooms snap off easily, and the new growth happens right behind these spent blooms. Now is also a fine time to shape these shrubs with a major pruning. Doing it early establishes a neat summer look and saves next year’s flower buds, which form later in summer. Don’t be shy… most rhododendrons take well to pruning.
• Resist Cutting Back Bulb Foliage While we love the brilliant color spring-flowering bulbs brought to our gardens recently, we also despise how ratty the plants now look since the blooms have faded. However, you need to resist the urge to cut away foliage that’s still green. Your bulbs need the nutrients drawn from this year’s foliage to create next year’s blooms. Eventually, you’ll be able to put in bedding plants over the top of your bulb beds, but these areas are usually the last you should plant each year. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to make your garden beds a little neater now...
  • It’s okay to remove brown foliage. Do this on a weekly basis, and your bulb areas won’t look so bad.
  • Strategically place a few pots of blooming pansies within your bulb beds. It’s an easy, attractive option that lures the eye away from fading bulb foliage.
  • Tie down bulb foliage with a rubber bad or twist tie.
• Controlling Garden Bugs If insects or slugs are a serious problem, you may need to treat the situation with an insecticide or molluscide (slug bait). What, when and how you apply is determined by your type of pest problem, the plants affected, and your own gardening philosophy. When in doubt, consult a garden book or inquire at your garden center before buying. Here are treatment options (whatever your method of choice, get the pests now before they grow to eat more and lay eggs)…
  • Systemic Chemicals These are usually powders or granules you apply to the soil around the base of the plant. The plant draws the insecticide up through the roots, where it gets into the plant’s system: leaves, stems, and sap. Any pest that consumes the plant consumes the chemical. Systemics usually remain effective an entire season, so you apply only once.
  • Contact Chemicals Apply these spray-on liquids and dusts directly to the plant leaves and stems. Be sure to cover the plant thoroughly and always apply on a still, wind-free day. Read the label and inspect plants weekly to determine when to reapply. Some are more resilient in rain and wind than others.
  • Baits These contain a combination of poisonous chemicals plus a food substance that attracts certain pests. Baits are placed on the soil surrounding the plant and must be reapplied throughout the season. Again, read the label to know how long you can expect them to last. Also, keep them away from children and pets.
  • Natural Methods If you prefer to avoid chemicals, hand removal is your best bet. Large insects can be plucked from plants. Smaller insects, such as aphids, can be sprayed off with jets of water. This requires diligence, including daily patrols of your garden.

Let’s get growing!

While much of the information in these tips is applicable in several gardening zones/climates, some of the plants and timing suggested are best suited to the Northwest, generally in the mild/wet growing regions found along the I-5 corridor. You should make appropriate adjustments or consult local gardening experts in regions whose climates differ from this area of the Northwest.