Twelve months of my garden: May

Loving every minute I spend in this space right now. It’s certainly amateur but it’s my creation and of that I am so proud. The alliums are looking brilliant but I’m sad to see the bluebells coming to an end.

The dry weather means the lawn is looking pretty subdued for No Mow May compared to last year. Maybe my dream of getting a wild orchid for the second year in a row might not come true.

I am now fully sold on the idea of extending the borders further out and adding definition with some edging stones. I will bring up the tulip and allium bulbs and redistribute them in an enlarged bed so it doesn’t look too crowded. I may wait for a day where the sun isn’t so imposing to start this though.

The barrel pond is a continuous fight against algae strands but I’m hoping the addition of surface plants and Ramshorn snails will help. I also added some hardy freshwater shrimp (scuds) but I haven’t seen any for a while.

I will harvest the last of my winter leeks shortly and enrich my vegetable patch with manure before planting some new veg. My potatoes are doing well and the strawberry plants are looking fab too.

I planted two acers in pots to flank the patio shelter – I hope they do OK in pots that size and in that position.

All in all, really pleased with how it’s going but as always plenty more to do – not even got my passionfruit project started yet!