What's happening in May
The rhododendrons and azaleas are at their best this month, together with many other flowering shrubs like wisteria and spirea. The Chilean firebush, Embothrium coccineum, is out already, its fiery orange blossoms competing for attention with the rhododendron blossom.
In the borders the herbaceous plants are filling out and beginning to flower, amongst them are dicentra, pulmonarias, primulas, ajuga and asphodeline. The orangery is a good place to shelter from spring showers. The grapevine is gradually covering the whole of the roof-space with its new foliage, we should be able to see tiny grapes quite soon.
What the gardeners are doing this month:
Keeping on top of mowing, weeding and edging will be top of the list this month. In the kitchen garden we have been re-planting the soft fruit bed, with raspberry canes, gooseberry, blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes, strawberries, and a cultivated blackberry. If the weather is kind we will be planting out summer bedding and half-hardy perennials towards the end of the month.
There are garden walks and a selection of locally-grown plants for sale outside the Brockhole shop.
Birds and wildlife to look out for:
Our resident birds will be joined this month by summer visitors; swallows, fly catchers, willow warblers, chiff-chaffs and blackcaps. There are plenty of small rabbits to be seen grazing on the lawns (and on young plants given half a chance!) with foxes and deer in the early morning and evening.