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Help for the Home Gardener

 

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Visit the Center for Home Gardening

Stop by the Center for Home Gardening and get your gardening questions answered by our expert staff and Master Gardener volunteers at the Plant Doctor Desk, or check out our houseplant display and other home gardening resources! Be sure to also take a stroll through our 23 outdoor demonstration gardens, which include a vegetable and fruit garden, cut flower garden, an experimental garden, and a newly renovated native prairie garden.  

Plant Doctor Desk (Walk-In) 

  • Hours: Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. (April-October)

Horticulture Answer Service (Phone & E-mail) 

May Gardening Tips

  • Don't prematurely remove spring bulb foliage or next year's flower production will decline. Allow the foliage to die down naturally or wait until most of the foliage has yellowed. Once foliage has died, bulbs can be moved or divided as needed.
  • Plant hardy water lilies in tubs or garden pools.
  • Begin planting warm-season annuals around mid-May. Mother's Day is usually a safe time to plant all warm-season plants and move overwintering tropical plants outside. Once planted, begin fertilizing as needed.
  • Mow zoysia lawns at 1.5 inch height. Remove no more than 1.5 inches at each mowing. Zoysia lawns may also be fertilized at this time. Apply no more than 1 lb of lawn fertilizer per 1,000 sqft. 
  • Herbs planted in average soils need no extra fertilizing. Too much fertilizer may reduce flavor and pungency at harvest. 
  • If spring rains have been sparse, begin irrigating. Especially for plants growing in full sun, most gardens need 1-2 inches of water a week between April and September.
  • Now is the time to repot any overcrowded houseplants. Be sure to only go 1-2 inches up in pot size as using too large of a pot can harm the plant.