A waft of border phlox and suddenly I'm 12 years old again, looking for a tennis ball among waisthigh perennials, writes Nigel Colborn.
Clare Nolan takes a look at some of the most stylish ways to transform your garden this summer, as well as some of the key kit you'll want to get your green fingers on... It used to be that wood stain came in brown and green and little else, but, thankfully, things have moved on. The must-have shade of the moment? Grey.
We joined the family on holiday in Cornwall last month. It rained a lot - it often does in Cornwall - but we enjoyed a beautiful day in Boscastle. The sapphire sea was enchanting.
For a lone fruit tree, I'd plump for a plum. The fruits do not keep as well as apples or pears, and the flowers aren't as pretty as cherry blossom. But a luscious plum is a gift from the gardening gods.
Now is the time to plant bulbs. Garden centres are piled high with tulips, daffodils and spring beauties from tiny scillas to whopping crown imperials. Mail-order suppliers are busy, too.
Each year, the flower colour builds to a glorious climax in June while July brings a brief pause while we wait for late summer plants to take over. You can evade downtime with lots of summer bedding.
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Click on images for more info...
Hot contender for Chelsea Plant of the Year 2015 was a salvia called Love And Wishes. To my surprise, the judges placed it third, but despite that (and the drippy name) it is going to be popular. Showy purple-red flowers with hooked petals and dark calyces are set off by handsome foliage on substantial 80cm plants. Flowering lasts from May to October and, although not fully hardy, the plants are easy to propagate and quick to mature. Salvia Love And Wishes was exhibited by Dysons Nurseries (dysonsalvias.com) and bred in Australia, but the plant's forebears are from Central and South America, where the best of the world's 900 salvia species grow.
Staff said the air quality had improved when plants were introduced to a workplace. This may be because foliage absorbs pollutants, dust and bugs from the air.
The chain is owned by Guy Hands' private equity business Terra Firma, which is understood to be looking at various options including a refinancing of its debt.
George Wall, of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, picked the bizarrely-shaped fruit forming from a tomato plant in his back garden.
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