May: Go Flower Wild! May is the most beautiful month for your garden. I could write for hours about May gardens. What are the flowers that bloom in May? What are the plants that make your garden bursting with colourful blooms?

April showers bring May flowers! Time to celebrate this time of year with five of the most beautiful plants and flowers:

• Bearded Iris (Iris Germanica)

  With its amazingly dramatic blooms, Bearded Iris is another favourite for May gardens. The plant loves full sun and well-drained but moist soil. In really hot climates make sure they get some shade during the day. They don’t require regular watering (unless hot weather conditions). They thrive when planted alone away from other flowers and they are a show stopper for any garden. One of the most popular flowers, they add character to your garden, are easy to grow and multiply each year.

• Clematis Montana (Anemone Clematis)

  Clematis is a climber! With its beautiful white and pink blooms, it’s a plant you want to have in your garden! Add to that their vanilla-scented fragrance and abundance of blooms and it’ll become your favourite choice. The Montana variety’s flowers aren’t as flamboyant as other Clematis varieties but they get thousands of blooms, which makes them spectacular to look at. But the plant needs some support as it grows to hold this dense foliage. They are healthy and easy to maintain, perfect for covering walls or fences in no time while spreading their sweet scent. They are just as good in full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. From May to June, get ready to enjoy their bloom show!

• The Woodland Strawberry

  Known for their unique flavour and bright red colour, the Woodland Strawberries are smaller than most store-bought strawberries. They’re delicious to eat fresh and you can also use their leaves raw in salads, cooked or even for tea. Just like regular strawberries, they are packed with antioxidants, minerals, and Vitamin C. This semi-evergreen plant with its small white flowers and striking red fruit will add colour and character to your garden. The Woodland Strawberry blooms in May and can be planted in a sunny or partial shade spot. The plant prefers moist and well-drained soil and is easy to care for. A beautiful superfood plant in your garden!

• Galium Odoratum (Sweet Woodruff)

  A fragrant perennial with clusters of white star-shaped flowers and dark green leaves will make your garden look and smell amazing. It’s commercially used as a fragrant plant. Adaptable to a wide range of moisture and soil conditions, Sweet Woodruff is low maintenance, weather-resistant and easy to plant. It’s not only great for under trees and easy landscaping (it will easily spread out) but you can dry its fragrant leaves and use them to make wreaths or even sachets for your linen. And how about a recipe for May wine with Woodruff? You can add the Woodruff fresh or dried leaves straight from your garden and make Maibowle, a German spring beverage using aromatised wine.

• Digitalis Mertonensis

  Another impressive perennial with large foxglove flowers in an unusual soft pink colour. It’s easy to grow although plants don’t live long. Don’t get disheartened though because clumps can be replanted. They will also self-seed freely. Digitalis Mertonensis needs well-drained but moist soil and prefers partial shade. In hot weather make sure the soil is kept moist. Its nectar-rich flowers are famous for attracting butterflies and bees-the perfect scene for a beautiful May garden.

• Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

  A hardy and ground cover plant that grows quickly to cover everything. Lily of the Valley is a perennial with fragrant white flowers during spring and orange non-edible berries in autumn. But be warned: just like Digitalis Mertonensis, Lily of the Valley is highly toxic when ingested so don’t try the berries. All it needs is some shade and rich, well-drained soil to quickly spread and take over any area in your garden. If you want to control its spread better plant it in containers or raised beds. Because it can grow under shade Lily of the Valley is also great to plant under trees. Impressive, easy to maintain and with a delicate fragrance you can’t go wrong with this plant.

More Tips & Advice?

If you need help with getting your garden projects going, or if you’d like to find out which improvements will work for your space, contact Botaniq for a consultation!

Content Editor Sofia Simeonidou