It's Chelsea Time!

I just love the Chelsea week - it comes at the time of year when the garden suddenly surges forward, past the stage of lush growth and vibrant greens, towards an explosion of colour.... the foxgloves and alliums are opening, the early geraniums, aquilegias, thalictrums and hesperis are all flowering. There's no turning back and it's all so uplifting because we know that there's so much yet to come before it reaches its peak.

I can't wait to see the show gardens....I'm hoping for new plant combination ideas. Meanwhile back at Kilcoan Gardens I'm busy planting out annuals (cornflowers, cosmos, stock, gypsophila, linaria, snapdragons) and chrysanths, peonies and phlox bought new this year. All new plants and seedlings are very slow because of the cold spring weather but they will hopefully catch up.

The perennial beds are filling up nicely although there are gaps because I was ruthless in early spring and dug out any plants that weren't earning their keep for the space they occupied - red hot pokers, perennial lupins (have planted the annual sort this year). My favourite perennial is catmint - nepeta Six Hills Giant for the following reasons:

• It has useful foliage as well as flowers (for picking)
• It clumps up quickly from small, new plants
• The slugs and other pests leave it alone
• It smells superb

Whilst wandering around the garden, I discovered this pretty ivy had made use of an ancient iron fencing post...sometimes nature does a better job than our carefully planned garden designs!