May Day, Welcoming in Warmer Weather

Gardening with the RHS

Royal Horticultural Society

Home & Garden, Leisure, Hobbies

4.4 • 654 Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This May Day we’re embracing new growth in the garden — even from the unexpected plants that pop up on their own! Nick Turrell from the RHS Gardening Advice Team will be shining a spotlight on one so-called ‘weed’ that’s actually packed with nutrients — a perfect addition to your summer salads. Liz Mooney from the edibles team at RHS Garden Wisley is back to share her top tips for growing beans — whether broad, runner, or French. And horticulturist Alessandra Sana will be diving into the crowning jewel of any summer pond: the glorious, timeless waterlily. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Nick Turrell, Liz Mooney, Alessandra Sana Links: How to grow broad beans How to grow runner beans How to grow French beans How to grow waterlilies

Transcript

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0:00.0	Get your tickets for the greatest show in Earth at an RHS garden near you.
0:06.4	Where nature puts on an unforgettable performance of colour and fragrance to delight your senses.
0:13.2	Inspire your gardening adventures and entertain your own little stars.
0:17.4	Race you, let's go.
0:19.5	Catch Springs finest scenes while you can at an RHS garden near you, let's go. Catch Springs, finest scenes while you can,
0:22.1	at an RHS garden near you.
0:24.0	Book tickets online for discounts,
0:26.0	plus under fives go free and under 16s of five pounds.
0:34.1	May Day's rich tapestry of traditions
0:36.4	marks a time of renewal, fertility and growth,
0:40.3	when the Earth, after its long winter sleep, bursts back into life.
0:45.3	Deeply rooted in the rhythms of the seasons, May Day signals the start of summer,
0:50.3	falling halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solsters in the Northern Hemisphere.
0:55.0	Traditionally, with crop planting out of the way, early May offered a rare and welcome pause,
1:00.0	a chance to breathe, celebrate and revel in the beauty of spring.
1:04.0	On May Eve, folklore tells us, the boundary between the natural and the supernatural world's fiend.
1:11.6	Ferrys and witches were fought to roam freely their mischief and malice threatening both
1:15.6	people and livestock.
1:19.6	Witches in particular were feared.
1:21.6	It was said they could transform into hairs to steal milk from cows or per which the year's butter supply.
1:28.3	To fend off such evil spirits, tradition dictated that people gathered yellow flowers like primroses, buttercups and marigolds,
1:35.3	to scatter on windowsills, doorways and even rooftops to protect their homes.
	...

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