IN THE GARDEN

Average high temperature: 28.4°C Average low temperature: 24.1°C Average rainfall days: 14.7 days

When May comes along, we know that Hong Kong is really starting to warm up. May also marks the beginning of typhoon season, so we can expect plenty of rainfall and humidity. Get comfortable with having wet dirt in your garden, it will prove to be a cool sanctuary for your plants throughout the summer.

This warm season provides the perfect opportunity for sowing the seeds of Chinese balsam, sunflower, amaranthus globosus, ipomoea quamoclit, cocksombs, torenia fournieri, clitoria ternatea, and gynandropsis pentaphylla. If you’re looking to add pops of colour to your garden, these flowers will bloom and do just that.

Take a good look at your previously sown seeds which have now bloomed and get ready to move things around. Annuals sown in March will now be ready for potting or planting in beds. Allamandas and buddleias should be repotted and poinsettias should be safely nestled into flowering pots.

Pay attention to the following plants that need to be shielded from the wet May weather. Freesias will have grown to maturity and should be kept dry. Geraniums and heliotropes will keep better through the summer if protected from the heavy rain. Consider that verandahs provide suitable shelter.

Stay a little on your toes to prevent the rain and heat getting the better of you. Draw in the summer air and embark upon this month of protecting and caring for your plants.

By William James Tutcher

Superintendent of Hong Kong Botanical Gardens. Paraphrased from his seminal 1906 work Gardening for Hong Kong.