The Garden Minute: Dead Hedges, Dry Hands & Delightful Gardens for a May Visit
☀️ Happy Friday Gardeners. The weekend is beckoning. Let's ease in with a little gardening goodness.
✂️🌱 Curated Cuttings
A round-up of tips, tricks and news snippets on all things garden-related.
🥕 The 7 vegetables you can grow vertically to maximise growing space in a small garden
🪴 Is It Safe to Move Your Houseplants Outside in Warm Weather?
💰 How to make your garden look expensive - without actually spending a fortune
🌳 What is a dead hedge? An expert guide to a garden must-have
🧴 Hand cream that gives '96 hours of moisture' is perfect for gardeners' dry hands
👨🏻🌾 How to garden in spring (and the best tools for the job)
🗒️ If you do one thing this weekend …
Timely tasks for every stage of the season
It’s been a classic late April mix this week—bright sunshine one moment, and the odd passing shower the next. But overall, it’s felt like the garden is really waking up now. There’s that unmistakable hum of spring in the air: birdsong, bees buzzing, and everything growing just that little bit faster.
The spinach, rocket and pak choi are all looking really healthy, and I’ve noticed the first signs of new leaves ready to pick. There’s something so satisfying about stepping outside and harvesting your own salad—it’s that little reminder of why all the early effort is worth it.
With the longer evenings, I’ve been spending more time just pottering—clearing space for the next round of sowing and checking in on the pots and borders. I’m thinking of putting some lavender in this year to really ramp up the pollenator action.
Tip of the Week: If you haven’t already, now’s a great time to direct sow hardy crops like carrots, beetroot, or radishes. The soil’s warming up, and a little shower here and there will help them settle in nicely.
🗺️ Let’s explore …
A spotlight on spectacular gardens
Get planning your next adventure …
Plantsman Keith Wiley recommends the best gardens to visit in May to see their plants in full bloom
Check out the best gardens for May
📍 Local news
From the weird to the wonderful. What’s happening in gardens around the UK?
📍 The late Queen will be commemorated with a garden in Regent's Park
📍 Free entry for locals to beautiful gardens and parkland this weekend
📍 Sewerby Hall to sell animal 'zoo poo' as garden fertiliser
⏰ Thank you for reading The Garden Minute.
What are your green-fingered plans for the weekend? I’d love to hear what you’re getting up to in your garden. Leave a comment👇
Happy gardening!