May Is Here — Let's Not Waste It
May has this energy that April doesn't have. The "okay we're easing in" phase is over. The ground is warm, the sun is actually staying out past 7 pm, and your neighbors are already putting in their annuals. No pressure. (Okay, a little pressure.)
Here's your May landscaping playbook — practical, doable, and worth every minute.
1. Mulch. Seriously, Just Do It.
If there's one thing that will make your beds look intentional and your plants happy, it's a fresh layer of mulch. Two to three inches, kept a couple of inches away from plant stems. It holds moisture, keeps weeds down, and honestly makes everything look finished. It's the throw pillow of landscaping.
2. Your Last Frost Window Is Closing — Plant Those Annuals
Mid-May is generally the green light for warm-season plants in the Hudson Valley. Impatiens, marigolds, petunias, zinnias — if you've been holding off, now's your moment. Pick a cloudy day or plant in the evening so they don't go into shock under full afternoon sun.
3. Feed the Lawn (It's Hungry)
After a long winter of doing nothing, your lawn is ready for some love. A slow-release nitrogen fertilizer applied in May gives roots what they need to thrive through summer heat. Bonus: a thick, healthy lawn is your best natural weed suppressant.
4. Deal With the Weeds Before They Deal With You
May is when weeds get bold. Get ahead of them now — pull before they seed, spot-treat as needed, and keep beds mulched. Future you will be very grateful.
5. Walk Your Hardscape
Before you're fully in outdoor entertaining mode, take a walk around your property and look at your patios, walkways, steps, and edging. Winter frost heave can shift things subtly. Better to catch a loose stone or a lifted paver now than when someone's visiting and trips on it.
6. Turn On and Test Your Irrigation
If you have an irrigation system, May is the time to flush it, test each zone, and make sure heads are aimed correctly after any ground movement. Watering your driveway all summer is a surprisingly common and entirely avoidable problem.
7. Plan the Project You've Been Putting Off
You know the one. The patio you've been thinking about since last August. The front walk that needs replacing. The garden bed that's really just a patch of weeds with good intentions.
May is the sweet spot — warm enough to build, early enough to enjoy it all summer. Summer schedules fill up faster than you'd think.
8. Actually Sit Outside
Schedule it if you have to. Bring coffee. Do nothing. May in the Hudson Valley is genuinely beautiful, and the whole point of a great outdoor space is to enjoy it — not just maintain it.
Have questions about a project? Reach us at support@peaklandscaping.com.