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Meet Monty... on the eve of the Chelsea

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YOUR REWARDS

As a member of our Subscriber Club you enjoy exclusive rewards and benefits throughout the gardening year

Gardeners’ World Guide Small Space Veg

Your complete 132-page guide to growing fresh, tasty

Fun for everyone this spring

Last chance to book a day out at

Don’t miss out

WORTH £419 WIN! A Bistro set for your

WHAT TO DO NOW

Your 12-page monthly planner

Monty’s month

Hoe your veg beds regularly on warm, dry

STEP BY STEP How to plant out dahlias

Plant dahlias out now that the soil has

Pot up tender marguerites

Fresh compost and a bigger pot will give

10 MINUTES TO SPARE

Lift and divide primroses once flowering is finished

Deadhead bulbs

Snip back whole flower stems at the base,

Water and feed agapanthus

Drench pots of agapanthus with a liquid feed

Support peonies

The strong growth that peonies put on from

Tie in sweet peas

Soft garden twine lasts the whole season and

LOOK OUT FOR

Red spider mite

Thin out springsown seedlings

The extra warmth of the greenhouse will be

Plant out chillies

Dig a hole a little larger than the

20 MINUTES TO SPARE

Grow a few young basil plants close to

Pot up tomatoes

Planting tomatoes deeply encourages extra rooting Use large,

STEP BY STEP Plant a hanging basket

Fill a hanging basket with fresh young bedding

Monitor and water plants

Don’t forget □ Space plants so they aren’t

Earth up potatoes

Water young fruit in pots Keep a full

Pinch out broad beans

QUICK SOLUTIONS Thin out direct-sown rows of beetroot,

STEP BY STEP Sow crops direct with seed tapes

Seed tapes are long rolls of tape impregnated

Weed between onions

Don’t forget □ Harvest asparagus when the shoots

20 MINUTES TO SPARE

Sow crops that are best done little and

Plant maincrop potato tubers

Plant your potatoes with plenty of space between

Plant lilies into gaps in borders

Buy pot-grown lilies now, choosing sturdy plants with

Harden off half-hardy plants

VIEW FROM BEECHGROVE

Add cane toppers

Put toppers on canes to avoid accidentally injuring

Plant alpines into your wall

Don’t forget □ Trim evergreen hedges and topiary

Remove suckers from roses

If you can’t pull the sucker away, cut

Improve a sparse or patchy lawn

Rake the soil surface in bare patches, sprinkle

Add ferns to a shady spot

Check that the hole is the same depth

Marketplace Product Directory

Potter and Mooch Explore our brand new collection

YOUR EXTRAS

Welcome to your very own Subscriber Extras section. Every month you will find it full of exclusive content and offers giving you, our loyal readers, even more to enjoy

Echiums

These exotic-looking beauties grab the attention of plant lovers and wildlife, writes Emma Crawforth

Height of fashion

Enjoy the beautiful blooms of ‘Pride of Madeira’ , Echium candicans

Relax and unwind in a lakeside paradise

Subscriber CLUB Your May EXTRAS New date for

Meet Alan at Highgrove

19 September 2022 – £200pp

Join us at the NEC in June

Subscriber CLUB Your May EXTRAS Enjoy the ultimate

Save 15% on essentials

2 for 1 gardens

Visiting a garden is a great way to spend time with loved ones and a source of inspiration for your own plot. Plan your trips with our 2 for 1 Entry Card and Guide and start exploring!

We love May

PHOTO: PAUL DEBOIS “May, more than any other

Expert ’s choice

Common foxglove

The Full Monty

Monty gets right to the heart of what gardening meant to us during lockdown and how we can hold on to that precious feeling

Have your say

The view from your side of the fence

Clippings

Our roundup of the month’s latest gardeni ng news and views

The Flower Show’s back!

The flagship event in the gardening TV calendar is returning to its hallowed May slot – and we can’t wait to see the BBC’s coverage

News in brief

1 WINNING RUBBER Natural fair-trade rubber module trays,

Grow your FREE seeds*

Sow your easy-to-grow flower, herb and salad seeds now for beautiful blooms and tasty pickings this summer

Parsley

Flat-leaved parsley like ‘Plain leaved 2’ is more

Lettuce and basil

Easy to grow and good looking, lettuce and

Green shoots of summer

Monty explains how to approach some of this month’s key gardening tasks to ensure you have a thriving, sustainable haven full of wildlife and colour

PLANTS WITH PURPOSE

Part 3: Annuals

“Recylcing makes you think creatively and gives the garden character”

Just outside Bath, Nigel Phillips has created a tropical garden using cleverly re-purposed materials and budget-friendly plant finds

Could you be a winner?

Enter now and your plot could be featured in the magazine

Problem solving the green way

Using chemicals to get rid of bugs and weeds can not only harm the environment, it can even make the problems worse. Sally Nex explains how a greener, more tolerant approach can provide benefits all round

WAYS TO GARDEN WITHOUT CHEMIC ALS

A greener garden doesn’t need to be full of pests and diseases. By understanding how your garden grows you can be ready for any problems that might beset your plants, and use solutions that won’t harm the planet

Growing in pots

Love learning with BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine

How to pick the right container

The type of material that you choose for

How to choose compost

Always choose a peat-free compost, and consider the

How to plant a pot right now

Planting up a feature container with a mix

How to grow crops in pots

Most veg crops can be grown in containers

How to grow a tree in a pot

Growing even one tree in a pot can

How to plant a year-round pot

The beauty of planting different plants in the

How to plant a wildlife pot

The plants on our patios have a role

How to make a potted pond

The beauty of a pond in a pot

How to feed and water containers

Feeding and watering is an essential task for

BOOK NOW

Browse and buy the latest gardening kit and

A-Z of house plants

Add some spiky attitude to a sunny room with this architectural foliage plant

Where do I start?

Lawns

Love your lawn

PHOTOS: GETTY/ANDREW_HOWE; SARAH CUTTLE/DIPLEY MILL, HAMPSHIRE A lawn

Lawn kit essentials

PHOTO: SARAH CUTTLE BEST BUY The ideal foil

YOUR PRUNING MONTH

Frances Tophill shows you how to get banana plants into good shape for the growing season ahead

Your wildlife month

By May nearly all garden wildlife is making

Fresh from the plot

It’s all change in the greenhouse this month, as Rekha sows basil and puts her young aubergine plants into their final homes, ready for a tasty, bountiful summer crop

Edible eye candy

You can have the best of both worlds with these easy containers that both look great and are filled with tasty goodies

Bounty on a budget

PART 1 In the first of a new six-part series, expert grower Sally Nex shows you how to grow delicious veg that’s good for you, your pocket and the environment

Make it yourself: eco seed tray

Wooden seed trays look great, but can be expensive. So instead of forking out, use our quick and easy guide to turn scrap wood into smart and eco-friendly trays

May Growing guide

Make the most of warm soil this month by successional sowing for continuous crops

Plant spacing

Q&A Your questions answered Edited by Emma Crawforth

Gardeners’ Question Time

Our experts tackle your gardening problems, including screening fences and trellises, ke eping veg beds pest-free and pond care

Crossword

Put down your trowel, pick up a pen

Summer living special!

June issue on sale 26 May WORTH £4.55

Tales from Titchmarsh

Giving storms titles like ‘Dudley’ may make them more memorable but, ponders Alan, what if it’s your name that’s been picked?