Shrubs and Plants flowering in May

This is a fabulous garden shrub. Its evergreen, with glossy leaves and wonderfully scented flowers. You will smell it before you see it. Illustrated is C. Astec pearl (illustrated. )

How to plant, grow and prune Choiysa.

Beautiful, scented with a dazzling display long flowers, Wisteria is one of the best climbers to grow. 

Tips on how to grow and prune Wisteria and video advice.

Rhododendron and Azalea make a bright splash of colour and come in all sizes from compact to tree sized.Azaleas tend to be smaller in size and often more garden sized but both have the same growing requirements.

Aquilegia are a late spring flowering, herbacious perennial. Aquilegai are very easy to grow, often self seed and come back reliably each year. They come in a vary large range of colours - images and growing tips

Aubretia is a long flowering perennial in bloom throughout April and May. Easy to grow. It is an ideal trailing plant for a wall or bank. It does benefit from periodic pruning to prevent it becoming leggy, Video advice how to do this. 

Tulips flower from March to May depending on the variety.  Most Tulips are best treated as annuals although some, Darwin types,  repeat the flowering year, more info.

I could never have a garden without Alliums. Most are spring flowering, and usually shades of purple, white and blue and easy to grow, returning reliably each year. Allium is a bulb which dies back completely over winter. Images, growing tips and planting combinations.

If you want to bring wildlife into the garden our native Hawthorn is a good bet. It is home to many insects, loved by pollinators and the berries provide fruit for a number of birds and small mamels . This time of year with the May blossom it looks fantastic.

There are many varieties of primulas flowering in spring from the simple native primrose, illustrated, to its blousy cousin Polyanthus.

Easy to grow although sometimes short lived.  

Ceanothus is an evergreen shrub with clouds of soft blue flowers, usually  in the spring.

It is fast growing and needs a sheltered spot but looks fantastic in flower and is much loved by bees.

Clematis montana is one of the few Clematis which do not require pruning, which is in part why it is so popular in our gardens. It is a vigorous climber which needs plenty of space and sun.

Oriental poppy is an easy to grow perennial which provides a bold splash of colour with big bright flowers. 

It's jus one of several types of garden poppies