Definitely NOT what you want in your prized white Allium ‘Mount Everest’. I am plagued with snails this year. I have looked in all the usual hiding spots to clear them away, but still they appear.This chap obviously thought he would be safe here!

First Sweet Pea flower of the year. A pretty pink one, which is amazing because I only sowed white and blue ones! They were supposed to be a mixture of creamy white ‘Cathy’ and blue flaked ‘Betty Maiden’. No matter, they are all gorgeous.

This little plant hardly ever gets a mention, maybe because the leaves look very similar to Wood Avens, and gets weeded out earlier in the year. Tellima grandiflora or Fringe Cups, is a western North American wildflower which is now a common sight along British hedgerows and in deciduous woodland in spring. It has tiny yellow or red flowers and soft felty leaves..

Not in my garden (obviously!) but an ocean of wild garlic along the banks of a stream in Painswick this week. I found it interesting that the flowers were more prevalent on the sunny side of the stream.

A veritable forest of perennial sunflowers, Helianthus ‘Miss Mellish’, which are due for the ‘Chelsea Chop’ next week. I try to tier them by chopping them shorter at the front and leaving some untouched in the middle. That way I get more flowers over a longer period.

Just emerging is Clematis integrifolia, which would normally sprawl over other shrubs but I keep it contained within a grow-through ‘lobster pot’ to get it to grow vertically and so I can appreciate the beautiful mauve flowers en-masse. It works well with roses and the background of Trachelospermum jasminoides which will hopefully be in flower next week if this beautiful weather continues.

Have a great weekend

David