May
- Untwine climbing roses from their supports and either bury the canes in a trench or lay them on the ground and cover them with a thick mulch of shredded leaves, evergreen prunings, or soil.
- Hang assorted bird feeders to attract the widest variety of cheerful visitors. Offer black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, and mixed seed.
- Make sure you have adequately mulched tender perennials such as lavender. You can completely bury the plant in a mulch of dried leaves, straw or compost to keep it well insulated.
- Although it’s too late for daffodils, which need the whole fall to establish their root systems, alliums and winter hardy small bulbs such as Scilla siberica, puschkinia, and crocus can still go in the ground.
- Seed lettuce, spinach, and herbs now, to grow in a sunny window for fresh salads all season.
- Pick up the remainder of windfall fruit from under apple and pear trees to eliminate an incubation opportunity for insect pests or disease.
- Drying winds and bright winter sun can damage the foliage of broadleaf evergreens. Pick a warmer day this month to spray rhododendron, boxwood, and holly with a protective anti-dessicant.
- Retire your lawnmower for the winter: drain the gas into a container to be recycled and remove grass, dirt and other debris from the blades.
