Another Chelsea Flower Show has passed by and it is time to reflect.

What did you learn from the show? We are told each year by television presenters and commentators that there is much we can take from the show gardens as inspiration for our own gardens.

So much is made of the expensively put together show gardens but I have to admit that many leave me cold. What is more it is not very often that I see anything to copy and put into my own garden. One big problem I see every year is that the planting is not realistic.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the planting is artistic but it can give a false impression to any new gardeners trying to recreate the scheme. Many plants in the scheme do not flower at the same time of the year and Mother Nature is not so kind as to provide perfect healthy plants and weather.

What I do like about visiting Chelsea is meeting the growers. I am a believer in using tried and tested varieties, some would say common plants but there is a reason why they are commonly used, but these are the people who can point me in the direction of plants new to me and more importantly the best way to plant and care for them.

It is hard to know where to start writing about the garden at the moment, so much is happening. I can walk into the garden and see something that I think is a star at the moment; turn around and there is something else competing for the title. For instance the neat and tidy Astrantia never fails to impress each year but along the border is the big and blowsy orange Poppies.

Rose Gertrude Jekyll is spreading its beautiful perfume everywhere and even after the severe winter I cannot remember the early clematis blooming so well.

In the greenhouse the tomatoes are thriving (touch wood, fingers crossed etc!) and the majority of the flower seeds sown this year are doing well. The Impatiens are a bit behind and I cannot imagine that the Monarda (bergamot) will bloom this year. I have decided to pot up the latter for planting out in their final positions in autumn and fortunately I have Nictotiana that I have been able to use as a substitute. I will have to think of some way to bulk out the area where the Nicotiana were planned for but I am sure I will find a way.

The blue tits have fledged from our nest box. Bundles of fluff following or better described as trying to follow their parents after food.

The bad news is that we have a cat that is visiting the garden and hiding under the shrubbery near the feeder. Not a lot that can be done in reality. Some holly prunings have been deposited under there to make its life less uncomfortable but it seems determined and has been spotted at 5 in the morning. Not a time of day for me to be charging out to chase it off!

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