So much for April showers, we have had now one of the driest Aprils on record in nearly 100 years. The sun is growing stronger, but we have been experiencing some really cold nights so don’t get too carried away planting out young seedlings – it’s hard to not do so when everything is elbowing each other for space in the greenhouse. Just harden off anything used to the cosy embrace of the indoors or glasshouse by gradually exposing them to the outdoor temperatures.

Birdsong is in full swing and as supplies of native nuts and seeds dwindle, make sure you keep these wonderful garden visitors well fed and watered. The local sparrow population in my garden are doing a great job in keeping the emerging aphid population down so I will do what l can to keep these pest control experts sharing my garden. May can be a hectic month but there are many ways to save yourself time so you can spend more of it admiring the plants and wildlife as you eat your fresh salad leaf salad sprinkled with the bright star shaped flowers of your borage flowers.

Mulch, mulch, mulch. Save time weeding and watering. There are many different types of mulch from seaweed to straw, grass clippings to bark chip. Each have different merits, but avoid peat based manure/ compost. Best is home-made compost with the smallest environmental footprint, or whatever is closes at hand for you, and unless the ground is really compacted it can just be left in a thick layer on top of the beds. Mulching feeds all sort of fungi as it breaks down and locks carbon in into the soil – it’s benefits really can’t be overstated, aim for a depth of at least 5cm. It’s a great way to attract more worms which will thrive in the cool, dark conditions.

There are some beautiful plants to enjoy this time of year. There are some beautiful, head-turning  wisterias in Bovey, lovingly trained on walls. These plants are real ‘doers’ – loved by pollinators; a musky sweet scent from the dripping pea-like flowers; often used a shelter by birds and insects. Their twining stems can require a little encouragement to train them in a manageable way but if you have the space and have a host tree or hedge you can send them spiralling upwards and they’ll reward their freedom with a few less blooms, but a real rambley wildlife habitat for all sorts of creatures. One of my children always used to call them ‘Misteria’s’ which I think is a much more apt name for these symbolic plants.

Elsewhere in the garden, I’m ensuring my water-butts are clean and leak-free to collect this precious commodity – planning where I can add some more water storage. I’m directly sowing French beans and sugar snap beans in my vegetable garden – seedlings of these can be damaged by slugs so after sowing you can cover with half a plastic bottle to act as a mini-cloche and slug/snail deterrent. Straw will be tucked under strawberries in next week or 2, this will help conserve the moisture and also help them from being spoiled by rain-splashed soil and slugs. May day is an important ‘workers holiday’ but its more ancient roots stem from the festival of Beltain, one of the great fire festivals when bonfires were lit on hill tops and communities gathered around all night to see the summer in. This time of year, all life is on the move, and it’s a time for collective thinking of how to influence the world around us in subtle but profound ways……. So why not start by planting a tree or some wild seeds! The Bovey & Heathfield Climate Emergency group are giving away trees and seeds in partnership with Devon Wildlife trust on Sat May 22^nd from 9.30 @ the new Community Centre in Bovey – Please wear facemasks and observe social distancing. Or contact dartmoorgardens@hotmail.com or cebh@boveytracey.gov.uk with any garden related queries