Monthly gardening tips & advice - May

Lawns

Consider trying – take a break from mowing this month to let wildflowers in your lawn grow up to bloom and provide pollen, nectar and shelter for insects and other wildlife. You can ‘no mow’ your whole lawn or just part of it.
Mow regularly if you want to keep your lawn neat – trimmed lawns still create valuable wildlife habitats for many invertebrates. Either add the clippings to the compost heap or leave them on the lawn to act as a mulch to retain moisture, especially in drought-prone areas.
Define the lawn edges using a half-moon edging iron or spade, creating a 7.5cm (3in) ‘gutter’ around the lawn. This will prevent grass creeping from the lawn into your borders.
Apply a specific summer lawn fertiliser if your grass needs a boost, at the rate recommended on the packet. This nitrogen-rich feed will increase the lawn’s vigour and help prevent weeds and moss from establishing. Use the minimum amount necessary, to reduce the environmental impact.
See our guide to spring/summer lawn care.

Sow a new lawn and re-seed bare patches in early May. Prepare the ground for sowing by forking over, weeding, levelling and lightly firming. If you don't get it done early in the month, then wait until September.
Avoid walking on or mowing newly sown grass until it has reached 5–8cm (2–3in) tall. Even then, only give it a light trim, with the blade at the highest setting.
A flush of weed seedlings appearing in a newly sown lawn is nothing to worry about. They will disappear once regular mowing begins.
Water new lawns (either from turf or seed) in dry spells to make sure they establish well.
Wait until at least September if you want to lay turf, as it won’t establish well if laid now and may die in a hot, dry summer. It will settle in much better during the autumn.
See our video guide to creating a new lawn.

In a hot summer keep your lawn a little longer than usual. Also consider leaving the clippings on the lawn, as a mulch, to help hold in moisture. See our advice on lawn care in droughts.
Remove unwanted weeds using a trowel or grubbing tool.

If moss is a problem (usually only in damp, poorly drained lawns) and you want to get rid of it, try removing with a spring-tined rake first. If that isn’t successful, you could apply a chemical moss killer, then rake out the debris after a couple of weeks. See our guide to moss in lawns.
See all our lawn care advice.

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