May is usually the month when early morning frosts become incredibly rare or totally non-existent and it is possible to begin planting out bedding plants for Summer flowering.
For many householders, it’s also the time to prepare the hanging baskets and container pots which are lined up on the patio. From the beginning of May onwards, garden centres and nurseries and even local supermarkets have a plethora of bedding plants for sale.
For hanging baskets, plant a few trailing plants like lobelia or trailing varieties of begonia and petunia which will hang down attractively, bringing colour and adding interest to a wall or dull looking fence. Marigolds are easy to grow and are suitable for beds as well as containers. Osteospermums and gazania will produce daisy-like flowers all summer long, especially if you dead-head fading blooms once they have finished flowering, encouraging further growth. Fuchsia are good to plant in pots on the patio. They often won’t survive through cold, frosty Winter days but if you plant them out in pots then you can easily move the pot inside during the harsher days of Winter or into a more sheltered position in the garden.
Within a couple of weeks of planting out bedding plants, you will soon find a splash of vibrant colours appearing in your flower beds, pots and hanging baskets.