My Garden in May 2025

I'm not at home this week so the photos are all from the first 3 weeks of May.

There's been a lot of growth in the garden, despite the lack of rain. 

There's also been a lot of things that haven't grown, but I suspect that has something to do with very old seeds and not preparing the ground properly before planting. 

Root vegetables seem to be growing the best.

The tomatoes and chilli are taking their time but I don't have a heated greenhouse or anywhere inside to germinate seeds.

The peas have surprised me the most, planted 5 days earlier after being soaked in water for 24 hours, they popped through the soil in the morning and 12 hours later were like this.

I'm half expecting a giant to be in the garden by the time I get back (Jack and the pea stalk)

I realised that the brown bin was being emptied on Wednesday last week and there was nothing in it, so a mad flurry of activity and lots of pruning took place after work on the Tuesday.

A good job really if I'm away for a week.

We still haven't moved this soil.

We still haven't sorted out the front garden.

And I doubt this side of the house will ever be used for anything other than a dumping ground. However there some old bits of wood that can be chucked and I can dismantle the cold frame now.

The one raised bed only has beetroot growing in it and 1 cucumber plant as well as a raspberry bush. So I've decided to let all these seeds and weeds grow in it while I work out what is what. I know there are poppies and cosmos in there.

I've been using Plantnet app to identify everything.

My Garden in May

We seem to have missed spring and gone straight into summer, followed by some very wet weather, but at least the heating is off now.

We've had a couple of BBQs and now we have the covered area we've been able to BBQ even when it's been raining.

The garden is starting to take shape since we removed the she old shed, there's still the smaller one to come down before we can build the raised beds, but we've started tidying up the piles of soil that will be used to half fill the raised beds before topping up with fertiliser from the compost bin and compost we've yet to purchase.

This area will be the new pathway to the seating area created on the old shed base.

This is my favourite idea for paving as the ground is sloped, you can't see the detail in the photo, but the bricks merge the slope into a flat step. I took this picture at the RHS Malvern Spring Show.

We cut back a large shrub in the front garden to discover most of it was dead so made the decision to remove it.

The space it left behind has been filled with tomato plants, sunflowers and a pumpkin. As well as pak choi. The Dustbins are growing potatoes, herbs and chard. This spot gets a lot of sun. 

I'm looking to replace the temporary green house, now 4 years old and held together with cable ties, with a wooden one. The gate leads to the tools storage area and potting table.

Elsewhere in the garden plants have been repotted, seeds have been sown and young plants have been purchased from The Princes Trust Group at school.

Sweet peas, Blue Berry and Clematis. 

Peas and beans.

Strawberries.

Do Olive trees fruit in the UK? The fig tree has produced 3 figs already. The orange pot contains Bobs forget me knot memorial and the there's a magnolia tree to eventually go in the front garden.

Little shed needs to go. I've lost my Rhubarb over the winter. Must get a new one.

The front garden is an absolute mess. The plans are as follows. The hedge row planted last year, must grow soon and something desperately needs to be done with these borders.

The fig tree will be moved under the bay window next spring. Hardly any bulbs came up, the plan had been to dig them up after they bloomed, but I have no idea where they are. The shrubs will be replanted in the back garden in autumn once we've finished there and this space will all be cleared out.

A close up of the plants shows it in a better light, it looks very pretty I think, and I've scattered wild seed to fill the gaps, there's a hydrangea in there somewhere which will be moved to the border, to merge with the hedgerow and the magnolia tree, will be planted in the middle of the lawn.