Birds and Wildlife
- Lower the purple martin house to clean it out.
- Change hummingbird-feeder sugar water every week.
Color
- Get begonias and impatiens in. Wait until mid-month to plant periwinkles. Do not water overhead.
- Mandevilla, bougainvillea and Chinese hibiscus are great patio plants.
- Deadhead spent flowers.
- Hot weather plants: firebush, lantana, poinciana, Esperanza, firespike, caladium, coleus, begonia, moss rose, hibiscus, bougainvillea, purslane, cannas and blue princess verbena.
- Fertilizing potted plants with water- soluble product brings rich color.
- Fertilize roses for continued blooming.
- Let wildflowers go to seed before mowing.
- Flower seeds to be sown directly in the soil include amaranthus, celosia, morning glory, sunflowers and zinnias.
- Plant hibiscus, bougainvillea or mandevilla vines in containers.
Shade Trees and Shrubs
- DO NOT prune oak trees.
- If red-tipped photinia leaves have black spots, remove leaves and throw them in the trash.
- Be careful with string-trimmers around young trees.
- Spray summer-weight oil to control scale bugs on euonymous.
- If red-tip photinias require constant pruning, replace with holly, nandina, xylosma, eleagnus, or pyracantha.
Fruits and Nuts
- There is still time to thin late-season peaches, apples and plums. Thin to one fruit per 6-8 inches of stem.
- Fertilize pecan trees in early April with 21-0-0 (1 lb. per inch of trunk diameter) to encourage good nut production.
Ornamentals
- Control army worms and web worms with Bt, Spinosad, or Malathion.
- Hold bluebonnet seeds in the fridge until September.
- Plant Firebush for sun and firespike for shade. Hibiscus, cigar plant, dwarf Chinese trumpet creeper, lantana, and firebush on the patio.
- Caladium corms can be planted now. Wait until temperatures are above 70 F.
Turf Grass
- Don’t bag lawn clippings.
- May is the month to fertilize buffalo grass but only every 2 years.
- If starting a new Bermuda grass lawn, use 2-3 lbs. of seed per 1,000 sq. ft. and water twice a day.
- St. Augustine grass will fill in drought-killed areas if watered regularly.
- There’s still time to fertilize grass.
- Yellowing grass leaves with darker green veins signal symptoms of iron deficiency.
Vegetables
- Fruit set is sensitive to high temperatures; plant okra, Southern peas, peanuts, sweet corn, watermelons, cucumbers, squash, cantaloupes and eggplant the first part of May.
- Pick tomatoes when they change from green to green-white color.
- Keep the tomatoes well-watered and mulched to avoid blossom-end rot. Avoid watering the leaves.
- Side dress vegetables with 1 cup slow-release lawn fertilizer (2 cups of organic fertilizer) per 10 feet of row every 4-6 weeks.
- Harvest, harvest, harvest. If not, production will slow or stop.
- Onions are ready to harvest when the green tops fall over.
Seasonal Gardening Checklist Prepared by Tom Harris, Ph.D., Honorary BCMG