Chelsea Morning

I am watching the TV every night and drooling over the coverage from the Chelsea Flower Show. Oh how I wish to be there. Every year I think "Next year" but I have never made it yet. I am dreaming at night of tiarellas and roses and pelargoniums and lupins and heucheras and buxus. All the gorgeous show gardens - I could just eat them up.

The Queen has missed it this year, for only about the 2nd time ever. Of course, she has a good excuse as she is holidaying (sorry, working hahaha!) in Canada entertaining the subjects. Nice work if you can get it, hmmm?

What I cannot believe is that Rachel de Thame is pregnant again and I checked her out online. She is 41! You go, gardening girl!

I seem to have neglected my gardening tips lately (sorry, that pesky IVF distracted me. Naughty.) Here are your ever-so-belated tips for May:

Renovate rampant climbers, such as honeysuckles, by pruning the stems hard back.

When planting baskets and containers, leave space above the compost so you can water without sluicing compost over the side. Mix in water-retaining gel if your watering is irregular.

Lower the blades on your lawnmower to a short summer height. If you find yourself mowing down into moss, cut higher until the grass is thicker and can compete better. A feed will help.

Perennials such as salvia, delphinium and achillea can be propagated from cuttings made from basal shoots. Set finger-long shoots in a pot of sandy compost, the bases dipped in rooting powder. Water with a fungicide solution, cover with polythene and keep them warm.

Encourage self-sown hellebore seedlings by leaving the seedheads on the best forms. The rest can have old flowered stems removed to strengthen the plants. (I cannot do this yet as my hellebores are still flowering away and have been since January!)

Lift any tulip bulbs once flowers are spent. Dry off and store till autumn for re-planting.

Once the flowering display is over, trim back aubretias and mossy saxifrages.