May garden chores

Last Frost Dates -- In all but the hottest regions of the South, continue to plant warm-season annual flowers, herbs, and vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, basil, marigolds, petunias, and the like) as long as your're past your region's last average annual frost date.

Continue to plant tender summer bulbs outdoors, including glads, cannas, dahlias, and tuberous begonias, as long as your frost date has passed.

In all but the hottest regions of Texas and Florida and the coldest regions where the last frost date hasn't passed yet, plant seeds or seedlings for corn, green beans, melons, squash, cucumbers, okra, sweet potatoes and other heat-lovers.

Planting Trees and Shrubs -- In all but the hottest regions of Texas and Florida, continue to plant container-grown trees, shrubs, perennial herbs and flowers, and ground covers.

If you haven't already, move your houseplants outdoors to a shady spot. It's a good time to repot and fertilize them to ready them for a summer growth spurt.

Deadheading 101 -- Continue to deadhead flowers. This will neaten their appearance as well as encourage future blooms.

Purning Shrubs -- Prune spring-blooming trees and shrubs once they're done blooming.

Keeping harvesting vegetables when they're young and tender.

Continue to fertilize roses with chemical or organic (compost, fish emulsion) fertilizer.

Fertilize roses, citrus trees, fuchsias, and avocado trees.

Clean up fallen fruit from citrus trees.

Keep an eye out for yellow or pale leaves with green ribs -- a sign of iron chlorosis. Apply chelated iron according to package directions.

If you haven't already late this spring, fertilize your lawn for the lushest, thickest growth.

Annual Stakes and Supports -- Continue to stake tall plants that will need it now while they're just a foot or so high.