Gardening tips for May: Harden plants off
Acclimatising plants to the rigours of the great outdoors should happen gradually in May


May is the month when warm days begin to beckon tender plants onto the terrace, but beware the cooler night temperatures, which will turn them purple at the edges. The process of hardening-off involves gradually accustoming plants to the rigours of outdoor life, and should not be rushed, but taken in orderly stages. Move plants from the greenhouse to the frame: prop the frame light open during the day, then shut it at night; leave the lights up; then, plant out at the end of the month. All of us needed to learn to walk before we could run.
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Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
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