With the worst weather for 51 years, and very cold nights even at the beginning of June, planting and preparing for my 'Garden Open Days' has been extremely difficult. Many plants have just been so slow to get going. Others have gone mouldy. Even the tomatoes in the greenhouse were too cold to make any new growth. Then came the sun for a few days and the difficult start seemed an age ago.

The Alliums (purple sensation, and the smaller christophii, both planted in the autumn) are not usually out at the same time. The Dutch iris, dark blue and yellow were gorgeous. They were put in pots so that as they finished new plants (Eucomis – the 'pineapple' plant) were put in their place. I have done the same thing with gladioli and earlier, the tulips. They get several feeds of tomato fertiliser and a small amount of 'Miracle Gro' so that as they die down, they take the food down with them, and build up the bulb for next year.

Although the garden is now very full, the good news is that there is not much room for weeds! The same cannot be said for slugs though.

They love snuggling under the pots and undergrowth. So far the sawfly caterpillar which decimates the beautiful Solomons Seal and other plants, hasn't shown up yet.

A precautionary spray with 'Provado ultimate bug killer' could be used. It is also good to get rid of lily beetle, if you find the idea of squashing them repugnant.

The Hydrangeas have got the very smallest of flower buds, so I shall start putting the 'blueing powder' on regularly from now on, as I much prefer them blue.