# What to plant in May in Dubai

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/what-to-plant/may · Updated: 2026-10-05
Source: Ghaf Gardens (https://plantguide.ae/what-to-plant/may)

**Heat-lovers only: mulch and shade now.** Climate: mean high 38.2°C, mean low 26.1°C, rain 0.4 mm. 12 plants to sow or plant, 62 in flower, fruit or harvest.

## Overview

May is where Dubai gardens are won or lost. Highs average 38°C, the rain has gone, and the sun is already close to its summer intensity. Planting is now the exception. Okra, Malabar spinach and sweet potato vines still go in, as do heat-adapted flowers such as [Vinca](https://plantguide.ae/plants/vinca.md) and [Portulaca](https://plantguide.ae/plants/portulaca.md), but almost everything else should wait for September or October.

Your job is to get ahead of the heat. Water before 8am or after 6pm, as DEWA advises, and aim to finish by 7am so the soil starts the day cool. Mulch beds thickly, shade newly planted trees and shrubs, and check every drip line weekly: one blocked emitter can kill a young plant in days. Hold back on major pruning and on feeding, and let plants spend their energy on survival. Dubai Municipality's own planting follows the same logic, shifting to a hardier summer cycle from May. Buy now only what you can protect.

## Sow or plant in May (12)

### Vegetables & herbs

- **Okra** (okra) — Abelmoschus esculentus · بامية · vegetable, exotic · full sun, moderate water · heat 5 salt 2 drought 3 shade 1 ease 4 · plant/sow Feb–May · sow · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/okra.md)

### Flowers

- **Portulaca** (portulaca) — Portulaca grandiflora · flower, exotic · full sun, very low water · heat 5 salt 2 drought 5 shade 1 ease 5 · plant/sow Mar–Jun · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/portulaca.md)
- **Vinca** (vinca) — Catharanthus roseus · flower, adapted · full sun, low water · heat 5 salt 2 drought 4 shade 2 ease 4 · plant/sow May–Jun · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/vinca.md)
- **Celosia** (celosia) — Celosia argentea · flower, exotic · full sun, moderate water · heat 5 salt 2 drought 3 shade 2 ease 4 · plant/sow Mar–Jun · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/celosia.md)

### Lawn & grasses

- **Bermuda grass** (bermuda-grass) — Cynodon dactylon · ثيل · grass, adapted · full sun, moderate water · heat 5 salt 3 drought 5 shade 1 ease 4 · plant/sow Mar–May, Sep–Nov · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/bermuda-grass.md)
- **Seashore paspalum** (seashore-paspalum) — Paspalum vaginatum · باسبالم · grass, adapted · full sun, moderate water · heat 5 salt 5 drought 4 shade 2 ease 3 · plant/sow Mar–May, Sep–Nov · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/seashore-paspalum.md)
- **Zoysia grass** (zoysia-grass) — Zoysia matrella · زويسيا · grass, exotic · sun to part shade, moderate water · heat 4 salt 3 drought 3 shade 4 ease 3 · plant/sow Mar–May, Sep–Nov · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/zoysia-grass.md)
- **St Augustine grass** (st-augustine-grass) — Stenotaphrum secundatum · grass, exotic · sun to part shade, high water · heat 3 salt 3 drought 2 shade 5 ease 2 · plant/sow Mar–May, Sep–Nov · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/st-augustine-grass.md)

### Indoor

- **Anthurium** (anthurium) — Anthurium andraeanum · أنثوريوم · indoor, exotic · part shade, moderate water · heat 1 salt 1 drought 2 shade 2 ease 2 · plant/sow Mar–May · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/anthurium.md)
- **Calathea** (calathea) — Goeppertia spp. (syn. Calathea) · indoor, exotic · part shade, moderate water · heat 1 salt 1 drought 1 shade 3 ease 2 · plant/sow Apr–Jun · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/calathea.md)

### Water plants

- **Water Lily** (water-lily) — Nymphaea (tropical hybrids) · زنبق الماء · aquatic, exotic · sun to part shade, high water · heat 4 salt 1 drought 1 shade 2 ease 3 · plant/sow Mar–May, Sep–Oct · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/water-lily.md)
- **Papyrus** (papyrus) — Cyperus papyrus · بردي · aquatic, exotic · sun to part shade, high water · heat 4 salt 2 drought 1 shade 2 ease 3 · plant/sow Mar–May, Sep–Nov · plant · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/papyrus.md)

## In flower, fruit or harvest (62)

- Ghaf (ghaf): flowering, fruiting
- Sidr (sidr): harvest
- Samr (samr): flowering
- Tamarisk (tamarisk): flowering
- Neem (neem): fruiting
- Royal Poinciana (royal-poinciana): flowering
- Frangipani (frangipani): flowering
- Olive (olive): flowering
- Moringa (moringa): flowering
- Damas (damas): flowering
- Date Palm (date-palm): fruiting
- Washingtonia Palm (washingtonia-palm): flowering
- Foxtail Palm (foxtail-palm): fruiting
- Bismarck Palm (bismarck-palm): flowering
- Arabian Jasmine (arabian-jasmine): flowering
- Ixora (ixora): flowering
- Hibiscus (hibiscus): flowering
- Oleander (oleander): flowering
- Yellow Bells (yellow-bells): flowering
- Lantana (lantana): flowering
- Arak (arak): fruiting
- Texas Sage (texas-sage): flowering
- Hopbush (hopbush): fruiting
- Sea Jasmine (sea-jasmine): flowering
- Desert Rose (desert-rose): flowering
- Vinca (vinca): flowering
- Portulaca (portulaca): flowering
- Wedelia (wedelia): flowering
- Basil (basil): harvest
- Traveller's palm (travellers-palm): flowering
- Heliconia (heliconia): flowering
- Mango (mango): fruiting
- Fig (fig): fruiting
- Pomegranate (pomegranate): flowering, fruiting
- Guava (guava): flowering, fruiting
- Papaya (papaya): fruiting, harvest
- Mulberry (mulberry): fruiting, harvest
- Okra (okra): flowering, harvest
- Chilli (chilli): harvest
- Aubergine (aubergine): harvest
- Cucumber (cucumber): harvest
- Curry leaf (curry-leaf): flowering, harvest
- Coriander (coriander): flowering, harvest
- Duranta (duranta): flowering
- Jatropha (jatropha): flowering
- Plumbago (plumbago): flowering
- Ruellia (ruellia): flowering
- Natal Plum (natal-plum): flowering, fruiting
- Bottlebrush (bottlebrush): flowering
- Golden Shower Tree (golden-shower-tree): flowering
- Parkinsonia (parkinsonia): flowering, fruiting
- Purple fountain grass (fountain-grass): flowering
- Lemongrass (lemongrass): harvest
- Coral vine (coral-vine): flowering
- Rangoon creeper (rangoon-creeper): flowering
- Allamanda (allamanda): flowering
- Passion flower (passion-flower): flowering
- Sesuvium (sesuvium): flowering
- Celosia (celosia): flowering
- Prickly Pear (prickly-pear): flowering
- Water Lily (water-lily): flowering
- Lotus (lotus): flowering

## Jobs this month: Entering summer: prioritise establishment watering

**Garden**
- Water before 8am or after 6pm to reduce evaporation loss, per DEWA guidance
- Shade newly planted trees and shrubs that have not yet established
- Check drip irrigation lines weekly for blocked emitters before the heat peaks
- Hold off on major pruning; let plants focus energy on surviving the heat

**Pool**
- Check chlorine levels more often; heat and UV burn it off faster
- Run the pump longer per day to keep water turning over in rising heat

## Tips

- **Plant at the cool ends of the day.** If you must plant, do it at first light or dusk, water in deeply and shade for two weeks.
- **Mulch thickly.** Keep 5 to 7 cm of organic mulch on every bed. It cools the root zone and cuts evaporation.
- **Shade the young and tender.** Newly planted trees and shrubs, citrus and tender vegetables need 30 to 50% shade cloth through the hottest hours.
- **Water early and deeply.** Aim to finish before 7am. Deep soaks beat daily sprinkles because they push roots down where the soil stays cooler.
- **Check drip lines weekly.** Look for blocked, popped-out or leaking emitters, and fix them the same day.

## Watch out for

- **Panic watering.** Local gardeners quoted by The National say most plants die in summer from overwatering, not heat. Check the soil 5 cm down before you water again.
- **Sunscald on young trunks and fruit.** Thin bark and fruit scorch in direct summer sun. Shade cloth or a trunk wrap protects them.
- **Black pots.** Dark plastic pots overheat fast. Move containers into shade, or switch to light-coloured ones.

## Related guides

- [Watering your garden through a Dubai summer](https://plantguide.ae/guides/watering-garden-dubai-summer)
- [Keeping your garden and pool alive while you're away for summer](https://plantguide.ae/guides/garden-care-while-travelling-summer)

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