The merry month of May has arrived and so has the season of BlackBerry Winter. This is the time when the wild blackberries are white with blooms along the country lanes in the Piedmont. This special time is known as Blackberry Winter. During this period of several weeks, the blackberries are in full bloom and we will have some chilly May nights as well as days. As the berries bloom, write down where they are. When they ripen in late June or early July, you can locate them easily and harvest them to make a blackberry cobbler or some blackberry dumplings or jam.
In the midst of dust yellow pollen
For the next five weeks the season of pollen will be with us as one free variety after another releases its pollen. It will be blown by the winds of spring and the fine yellow dust will cover the carport, front porch, deck and vehicles as well as driveways and windshields. The pollen can be irritating and annoying and cause sneezes, wheezes, and allergies. Keep the garden hose handy to rinse off the carport and vehicles. Dust the dash off and inside door panels of the vehicles and use glass cleaner to clean the wipers and windshields. Open the hood and wipe the engine with Gunk engine cleaner or Armor-All. Use a protective mask or protective goggles when mowing the lawn.
The season of the strawberry is near
With May in its first week, a few strawberries are now getting ripe and the season will soon be on the way. By the time Mother’s Day arrives, we can expect many pick-your-own fields to begin opening for a month-long season. You can pick your own or call ahead and have them picked for you for a small fee. Either way, the strawberries, freshly picked and tart are a special seasonal treat for a spring shortcake or dessert. The harvest should last until the first days of June or longer.
May is planting time
May is the month to plant, sow, and set out the warm weather vegetables. The soil is warming up and all danger of frost is past. The nights are getting warmer and this is a sure sign that warm weather vegetables can now be planted in warming soil of mid-spring. As we reach the second week of May tomatoes, peppers, and egg plants can be set out. The seeds of squash, okra, cucumbers, green beans, Lima beans, zucchini, and all other warm weather vegetables can be sown. The flowers of zinnia, cosmos, marigolds, bachelor buttons, clown flowers, begonias, impatiens, Heather, Veronica, forget-me-nots, salvia, verbena, poppies, four o’ clocks, vinca, petunias, and snap dragons are safe when planted.
Moving ferns outside for the summer
With the arrival of May, the ferns that have been in the living room since late autumn are ready to be moved to the sunny deck for the season of mid-spring until late autumn. Before moving them to the porch, add extra potting medium to the containers and a handful of Flower-Tone organic flower food. Trim back the runners and water lightly after moving them to a semi-sunny location on the deck. Trim both the panda and asparagus fern as you move them outside.
Making hummingbirds feel at home in May
Warm May days make the hummers feel right at home. Keeping feeders filled with nectar will welcome them to your backyard. Many flowers have not yet reached bloom stage and your feeders will be a welcome sight for them. You can purchase nectar in ready to use bottles, powdered mix in envelopes, liquid mix that you add water to or you can prepare your own by mixing half water half and half sugar. Store the mix in a half gallon plastic milk carton or bottle. Shake before placing in the feeders.
Making a fresh strawberry salad
Strawberries are beginning to be harvested from fields near you. Use a quart of them to prepare this salad that can be used for a dessert. You will need one quart of fresh strawberries, capped and washed in a pan of water and cut into halves and mixed with a cup of sugar, two three-ounce boxes of strawberry Jello, two cups of hot water, and one can of Comstock strawberry pie filling. Dissolve the Jello in hot water add the fresh strawberries and can of strawberry pie filling. Pour into a 13x9x2 inch baking dish and refrigerate two or three hours until congested. Cover with this topping: one carton of sour cream (room temperature), one eight-ounce box of cream cheese (room temperature), half cup sugar, one tablespoon strawberry extract. Mix all ingredients and spread over top of the Jello mixture. Serves twelve. Refrigerate.
First blossoms of the honeysuckle season
The perfume of the honeysuckles now fill the evenings and their fragrance is unforgettable. Their coral and trumpet-like flowers pervade the air on the front porch on a pleasant spring evening. For an extra-special scent, harvest several sprigs of honey suckles with plenty of blooms and place in a bud vase of water and place on the kitchen table or on the dresser in the bedroom for a special fresh fragrance.
Starting a packet of four o’ clocks
The season to plant four o’ clocks is now here. You can purchase packets at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Ace Hardware and most supermarkets and hardwares. They come in colors of red, yellow, pink, white, wine, and speckled and marbled colors. Four o’clock seed look like black miniature barrels and will sprout quickly. They will produce blooms from late mid-October.
Setting out a dragon-wing begonia
A Dragon-wing begonia is an unusual container flower with huge wing-like glossy dark green leaves and pink clusters of blooms. They perform well in larger containers with only one plant in the container. They continually bloom from late May until the first frost in late October. The clusters of hot pink flowers will be a showpiece on any front porch.
Moving the Christmas cactus outside
With the warm evenings of May arriving, the Christmas cactus can be moved to the front porch where they will spend the late spring, summer, and early autumn. The secret of their blooms in late November and early December is their time outdoors in warm weather. To prepare them for a move outside, trim the runners and replenish with cactus medium and apply a handful of Flower-Tone organic flower food before moving outside to a semi-sunny location. Water once a week. If foliage turns reddish, move to a less sunny location.
Sowing a bed of colorful zinnias
A row or bed of colorful zinnias can now be planted for a summer of color and beauty and a great way to attract butterflies and pollinators. Zinnia seeds are actually the petals of the zinnias. Zinnias come in all colors except blue and there is a zinnia that is green and named “ Envy.” Maybe some day the flower world of botanists can develop a blue zinnia. Zinnias will bloom all the way until the first frost. They come in packets of individual colors and also packets assorted colors. There are packs of striped zinnias and small zinnias. Zinnias perform well in full sun. You can make segments of different colors in a bed or mix all the seed packets for an assortment of color. Plant zinnias in a furrow about three inches deep. Apply a layer of peat moss in bottom of the furrow and sow the seeds. Apply another layer of peat moss and then a layer of Flower-Tone organic flower food and hill up soil on each side of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade for solid soil contact.
Hoe hoe hoedown
“Little too much ad.” Lanny: “Did that ad you put in the paper yesterday get any results?” Danny: “I should say so! I advertised that I needed a night watchman for my store, and last night my store was robbed!”
“Fact of Life.” The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn.
Love or Hate? It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
“Two Choices.” You can either look for opportunity or you can make them.
The almanac for May
May Day was celebrated on May 1, and the moon reached its last quarter on Wednesday, May 1. Cinco De Mayo will be on Sunday, May 5. There will be a new moon on Tuesday, May 7. Mother’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, May 12. The moon reaches its first quarter on Wednesday, May 15. The Day of Pentecost will be Sunday, May 19. The full moon of May will occur on Thursday, May 23, and is named Full Flower Moon. Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 27. The moon reaches its last quarter on Thursday, May 30.
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