Now is the time I take stock of the garden (before wind, hail and rain, if possible). Any gaps mean a trip to the garden centre and taking a photo of the border beforehand to take along makes choosing easier. I like to get perennials, shrubs or climbers so that area will look good next year too.

I try to have a garden for all seasons, and if a shrub is out of flower I grow a clematis through it (about 6-8ft, as you don’t want to smother everything).

The Hydrangeas are living up to their early promise and are a gorgeous deep blue in the back garden and lilac in the front. There are so many different types, but Annabel which has enormous white flowers, is definitely my favourite, and most reliable. If she has one fault, and I have learnt the hard way, it’s that she can flop and break at the first sign of bad weather. We have made a support for her using builder’s reinforcing grid, which is unbelievably versatile.

It also covers the ponds whilst the grandchildren are small, acts as a fence to keep deer out, is painted and placed on top of the pergola and made into obelisks to support our many climbers. Of course it is also used to reinforce the patio, which is what it is designed for, as it keeps everything in place and strengthens the concrete. Handling the grid is a nightmare, but once in place it is great.