May gardening jobs

Sow cool season herbs

Don’t miss out on flavoursome winter herbs such as coriander, dill, parsley and chervil. Start from seed or buy seedlings. For seeds, fill small pots with premium seed-raising mix, sprinkle the seeds on top and cover lightly with more mix. Place pots in a cool, bright spot and water gently to keep the mix moist. Once seedlings appear, give them plenty of light – a little morning sun is ideal – and feed them weekly with liquid fertiliser mixed at half-strength. When they look strong, plant them in the garden or in bigger pots.

Deal with dahlias

Colourful dahlia blooms make a wonderful display in summer and early autumn, but as the weather cools the show comes to an end and the plants start to die down. In warm areas with well-drained soil, the stems can be cut to ground level and the plants left alone. In cooler areas it’s best to lift the underground tubers in case they rot in the cold, wet soil. Trim their stems to about 20cm above the soil and use a garden fork to lift the clumps of tubers. Shake off excess soil and hang them upside down in a dry place for two or three weeks until the stems wither. Cut the stems before storing the tubers in an airy box, covering them with sand or potting mix. Replant in spring after the danger of frost has passed.

Prune mophead hydrangeas

Mophead hydrangeas – the ones that flower in summer with large fluffy blooms – can be cut back now. If your plant has developed late flowers, or if older blooms have aged to attractive colours, you can delay pruning until well into winter. Clear away fallen leaves and any grass around the base of the plant, and cut out the older, woodier stems completely at ground level. Cut other mature stems back to just above a pair of fat buds. The younger stems, which will host next summer’s flowers, should be left unpruned or, possibly, lightly tip-pruned. Clean up fallen leaves and bin any that are diseased. In spring, feed with a complete fertiliser.

Divide native grasses

In warmer areas, native grasses such as tussock grass (Poa labillardierei), and kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra) can be divided. Carefully dig out the clump, trim the leaves back by 50 per cent and gently pull the clump apart or cut it into pieces. Each piece should include a number of shoots with healthy roots. Plant as soon as possible, water in well and keep moist while the grasses are getting established. In cooler areas, early spring is a better time to carry out this task.

Sow sweet eating peas

Some of the tastiest peas are the ones that the French call mange-tout – in other words, ‘eat all’. ‘Eat all’ means they have thin-shelled pods that can be consumed along with the sweet inner seeds. Flat-podded snow peas and the slightly thicker sugar snaps are the popular mange-tout peas in Australia. Both are climbers, so they can be grown along a space-saving fence or trellis. Sow pea seeds into a sunny spot with good drainage. Don’t overwater or the seeds may rot. Push in small twigs to guide seedlings to their supports, and pick regularly once they start to bear. Pea flowers don’t like frost, so if you’re in a cold climate, it’s best to wait until late winter to start your peas.

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Words by Judy Horton