LANDSCAPING : The Last Quarter arrives today, and with it a flower day well suited to the ornamental garden. Sow cosmos 0.5 cm deep with seeds 3 cm apart in a sunny border — their feathery foliage will fill gaps left by spring bulbs. Nasturtium seeds can go straight into the ground, 2 cm deep and 10 cm apart; they thrive even in poor soil and reward you with weeks of edible colour. Zinnia seeds sown 0.5 cm deep with 3 cm between them germinate fast in warm May soil — choose a sheltered spot to give them a strong start.
VEGETABLE PATCH : Cut flowers for bouquets from the kitchen garden today — strawberry blossoms are best left to set fruit, but picking a few artichoke heads just as they begin to open makes a striking arrangement and encourages side shoots. Sunflower seedlings already showing two true leaves can be thinned to 40 cm apart in the row, rows 60 cm, giving each plant the light and airflow it needs to build a strong stem.
ORCHARD : Walk the fruit garden with a critical eye. Raspberry canes that have finished their first flush can have any weak or damaged laterals pinched back to redirect energy into the strongest growth. On the grapevine, rub off any secondary shoots emerging from the base of flower clusters — a clean, airy vine sets fruit far more reliably. In Mediterranean areas, fig trees may already be showing small embryo fruits; a light mulch of straw around the base will lock in moisture through the dry weeks ahead.