May - Northern Planting and Garden Making Month

May is the main planting and garden making month of the year for those in the North. Although planting of dormant trees and shrubs can be started in April, most of the planting is done in May. A late spring, or unfavorable weather in April, often delays the planting or transplanting of woody ornamentals until May. This of course, is the time to plant dormant fruit trees and floweringcrabapples. Fall planting is too risky for them, but it is safe for all other woody, deciduous plants when properly handled and given winter protection.

The rosy blossomed varieties of ornamental crabapples are the most colorful of the small trees that will grow in the North. Planted along the borderline of the property, they also provide cover and protection so essential in attracting birds.

Attention also should be directed to the planting of the sugar maple as an ornamental and shade tree. Few trees can rival it for autumn color, good growth habit and hardiness. If not done in April, all small fruits such as plums, cherries, cherryplums, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, grapes and strawberries should be planted as early in May as possible. Plants should be purchased from reliable local sources. Plants are handled with greater care and given protection against sun and winds that might be hard on the tender, new growth. VV hen spruce, pine and fir are in an advanced stage of new growth, they are not planted.

Early in the month, if not already done in April, garden beds are cultivated and prepared for seeding and the planting of transplants. Tender plants may be set out when all danger of frost is past. There are rumors that certain types of plants are great for keeping mosquitoes away from your yard and / or garden - but unfortunately, they are whispers without substance. There are no plants that can truly repel insects. Of course, there are plants such as the Venus fly trap, which are predatory and carnivorous by nature - but these are not common for a garden. If you have heard about any insect-repelling plant, you have probably heard the fictitious tales of what has been called the mosquito plant. Despite the many compelling accomplishments of bioengineering, these plants are not only ineffective, but do not even contain the genetic material "citrosa" which is the plant's only claim to possible fame. Testing proved claims that simply having these plants around will help keep insects (particularly mosquitoes) away form your garden.

Burning a citronella candle or a garden torch designed to emit fumes that repel insects can also be effective. As we know from basic science, plants need air to breathe. Plants provide a richer air because they expel oxygen, but if they do not get enough of the nutrients they need from the air around them and/or the soil in which they grow the plants will suffocate.

It is necessary to try to keep garden pests away from your outdoor garden for the health of your plants as well as for your own comfort. By the same token, it is absolutely necessary to create a healthy balance for your garden plants. There are not really any plants out there that will weigh-in significantly to keep insects away from your garden. Very aromatic plants and certain flowers, however, may actually attract more of certain garden pests such as bees and so on. Nonetheless, if you love strong, colorful, and billowing flowers in your garden, do not let the fear of insects deter you. If you are bothered by bug bites, the best advice is to use an over-the-counter insect repellent. These are commonly 90% or more effective for deterring mosquito bites, stings, etcetera. Some bugs are naturally attracted to your skin if you smell like a flower - sweet perfumes can certainly encourage this behavior. Crushing citrosa and rubbing it on exposed skin can be up to 40% effective in repelling garden pests.

We can only assume that man has always sought the knowledge of plants and had an interest in their cultivation, beyond the simple interest in plants for food.

Aristotle attempted to catalogue the herbs known at the time and Theophrastus, a pupil of Aristotle, created a system of inquiry into plants which was to influence botany for many centuries.

Galen, court physician to Marcus Aurelius the Roman Emperor, was a Greek physician who practiced medicine in Rome in 2C A.D. It was by the exchange of plants between the monasteries and the dedication of the travelling monks that the extent of herb and plant cultivation was greatly increased. Following the Crusades, a vast variety of new plants was introduced into Europe with botanists eager to grow new species but somewhat inhibited by superstitions and local legends related to them. Planting, grafting and harvesting was strictly in accordance with astronomical indications of the moon and other conditions.

Some created landscaping on a magnificent scale in the palace gardens, before ever botanical gardens for the public were considered. In Britain many customs of the Druids survived the centuries to which were added the familiar plants known to the Romans. John Gerard had his own Physic Garden as Curator of the Physic Garden of the College of Physicians. Thomas Johnson, apothecary, edited Gerard's Herball after his death and recorded thousands of species in England thereby commencing English botany. The people of England and Europe as well as settlers of the New World and the various colonies depended to a large extent upon the traditional custom of the cottage garden to provide them with additional foods and home remedies as well as beautiful flowers. Eager gardeners placed great value, often commercial value, upon new specimens which became available for cultivation. Over the last couple of centuries there has been an explosion of interest in the usefulness of herbs and plants of all kinds. 

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