The month of May is the perfect time to introduce Summer colour into your garden.

It is now that you should start to plant up your hanging baskets, troughs and containers with bedding plants that will grow and trail with regular feeding and watering.

• Tie in existing climbing plants as they grow and invest in obelisks and trellis for new climbers
• Plant out Dahlias when all frosts have gone
• Divide Hostas as they come into growth
• Feed and water container plants
• Look out for signs of blackspot on Roses
• Protect Carrots from Carrot Rootfly by covering them with insect mesh
• Plant Strawberry plants and when the fruit appears cover with netting
• Continue sowing lawn seed and bare patches
• Plant outside Marrows, Courgettes and Pumpkins
• Sow Sweetcorn
• Sow Runner Beans and create bamboo cane wigwams for them to climb
• Check newly planted plants for Aphids and spray with a systemic insecticide such as Provanto
• Mulch beds and borders to suppress weeds
• Plant Tomatoes and Cucumbers
• Apply chicken pellets to vegetable plots
• Thin out Beetroot and Spinach seed
• Continue to apply weedkillers to paths and patios
• Continue to plant fruit trees and fruit bushes
• Stock up on citronella oil and BBQ charcoal for the coming months