May - the name derives from separate Greek and Roman goddesses who were both called Maia. The Greek version was the mother of Hermes; the root meaning of maia in Greek is maia "mother, nurse, midwife". The Roman version was Maia Majesta, who was a goddess of fertility and spring, and the root meaning is considered to be "magnus" (i.e. great). Both versions seem appropriate for the month of May, the prelude to Summer and the onset of rapid growth.
Just the one photograph from the back garden this month. The wisteria is blooming marvellous, the mountain ash (rowanberry) is in flower and there are roses in the Paradise Garden.
Photo 1: View from the Rear Window, May 8th 2024
The daily garden photos are collated in Video 1 ...
Video 1: Daily Photos of the Rear Garden, May 2024
May, as I recall, was a warm month if not especially sunny. With a reasonable amount of rain, it was a good month for gardening and the garden (see here, here and here). The Met Office recorded May 2024 as the warmest May since 1884. Certainly, there were some very good (dry, sunny and warm) days. The Northern Lights were visible over much of the country though sadly not here in Hereford. The weather stats for May 2024' are summarised in the table below.
Daily maximum and minimum temperatures for May 2024 are plotted in Figure 1 (click once to enlarge). A cool start followed by a warm second week before settling down to average May temperatures.
Figure 1: Min/Max Daily Temperatures (May 2024)
Figure 2 plots the daily rainfall and sunshine (using solar radiation as a proxy for sunshine hours) data for May 2024. Cold & wet for the first week, warm and sunny for the second week and changeable for the remainder of the month.
Figure 2: Rainfall/Sunshine (May 2024)
In Figures 3 & 4, various weather parameters (sun, rain, temperature and wind) for May 2024 are compared with their equivalent in the previous 4 years. These confirm that May this year (2024) was indeed warm. From a gardener's point of view, it was nice to see the absence of frosts this month.
Figure 3: Temperature Data for May (2020 - 2024)
The observation (Figure 4) of low sunshine hours and moderate rainfall indicates a predominance of dry cloudy conditions throughout the month. This, undoubtedly, helped with the overall warmth by maintaining high night time temperatures. There has been a steady and consistent drop in the maximum wind speed experienced in May over the last five years. Fewer storms?
Figure 4: Rain, Wind & sun Trends for May (2020 - 2024)
The three figures below are taken from the Met Office's monthly report for May 2024. Not only was it warm in our back garden (Figure 4) but also in Herefordshire (circled) and, indeed, the whole of the UK (Figure 5).
Figure 5: UK Mean Monthly Temperature Anomalies (May 2024)
Meanwhile, May's rainfall was close to the average for the back garden and Herefordshire (circled) though much more variable over the rest of the UK.
Figure 6: UK Monthly Rainfall (May 2024)
As Figure 7 illustrates, much of the UK was dull, dull, dull this month; and our back garden (Figure 4) and Herefordshire (Figure 7, circled) were no exception. Natural vitamin D production, through exposure to UVB from sunlight, was probably down this month. I don't suppose there was an increase in rickets but I do wonder whether there is a business opportunity in selling Vitamin D supplements?
Figure 7: UK Monthly Sunshine Hours (May 2024)
Jobs in the Garden
Plant cucumber and tomato plants into the Quadgrow planters in the polytunnel
Harvesting asparagus (approximately 80 spears)
Plant out French Bean (Cobra) and Sweetcorn plants; sow more seeds for succession planting
Plant out Calabrese and Cauliflower plants sown in April.
Plant out squash, courgette, celeriac and celery plants
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