Lachlan Rae

Originally from Dumfries and Galloway, I have gardened my way around Britain arriving in Lancashire three years ago. Training in Botanical Horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh I have worked in a variety of garden settings as well as featured as an onscreen judge on Garden of the Year as shown on More 4 in August 2022. My time is mostly spent advising, looking after and designing gardens around Lancashire and the North West.

May

The pace our gardens move at in May can be almost frightening! Rhododendron, Bluebells, Camellia, Cherry Blossoms firing on all cylinders, welcoming the summer season to startsprings crescendo.

If I could give gardeners a word of advice for May, it would be to stop and enjoy the last of your spring displays because it wont be long before their forgotten. Keep sowing seed in the veg garden. Staggering your seed sowing helps avoid having all your vegetables or cut flowers ready at the same time. May is a fantastic month for sowing seed direct into the garden. Depending on your location and own micro climate May is a great month to direct sow seeds into your garden or to plant out vegetables you’ve started in the greenhouse or indeed your windowsill. By now greenhouse crops like tomatoes should be in permanent growbags, pots or beds. Those that have been organized and prepared may by now have their first truss of flowers forming. If your toms are behind don’t worry, they will be going into overdrive shortly!

One of the May’s highlights for me is planting out summer bedding; I absolutely love a bit of summer bedding! Often sneered upon by ‘Proper Gardeners’ these traditional favorites are tried and tested, providing long flowering displays with minimal input required. Ideal, if your just looking to get a little flash of summer color in your pots, tubs or beds. Easy for kids, to see some impact.

The term tender perennial may be alien to some of the readers; its simply a plant which will grow year after year with frost protection in colder months. The perfect example of a tender perennial is a dahlia. Originating from South America, the dahlia is enjoying its time in the sun in the popularity stakes; and for good reason! Few plants offer such a wide array of flower forms and colors. Many varieties are available with dark foliage which can add a further dimension of interest to your borders or pots. So long as you continue to deadhead, they will flower for months.

A plant I have developed an affection towards is Salvia, particularly the new world species. This is a broad group of plants which are very garden worthy. To keep the botany simple I split them into two groups. Firstly, small shrubby ones like ‘Hot

Lips’ which has been very popular since its release. These are quite hardy so long as they are not in soaking soil over winter. Secondly, the not so hardy, leafier sorts like Amistad or Black and Bloom- again, enjoying rightful popularity in the garden center. In a mild winter these will grow back in spring but to guarantee success they should be protected over winter. Both groups are rewarding to grow and give a long season of interest often flowering for months!

For those looking for something a little different, my top five looks like this:

Salvia uliginosa, Salvia corrugata, Salvia ‘Boutin’, Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’ and Salvia ‘Nachtvlinder. Unfortunately, these are not often readily available at local retailers, however a bit of online research should come up with some results.

One of the most beautiful plants you might see flowering from mid-May is a Himalayan Blue Poppy, Meconopsis. It can be a choosy plant to grow; requiring continually moist but well drained, rich acid soil. Basically, if struggle to grow them, give up. For those of us who can grow them, I couldn’t think of a more rewarding plant to grow!

As always, Id love to hear about all things gardening in Lancashire and am available on enquiries@lachlanraegardens.com or follow me on Instagram @lachlanrae_ gardens for regular updates on my gardening encounters in and around Lancashire.

LR Gardens was founded and is headed up by Lachlan Rae award winning gardener who featured as a judge on last summers Garden of the Year for More4. Lachlan has recently started to write a monthly column for Lancashire and the North West Magazine.

As one of the leading garden advisory, design and maintenance services in the North West, we specialize in the creation, improvement and upkeep of both private and public spaces. Plants are at the forefront of what we do and creating beautiful planting schemes is what we do best.