What an unpredictable few weeks it's been, we've certainly been having some weather! The heat-wave was very time consuming, and I refrained from planting until the weather changed. It's been quite a rush to plant in between the wind and the rain, which has encouraged lush leafy growth. This has been removed as much as possible, to give more room, and stop the leaves falling onto the new plants, which now need as much light as they can get. It's amazing just how many slugs and snails they give cover to, so protection against them is vital.

I have been keeping an eye on my Hydrangeas, many of which are in large pots. Flowers are now visible and there appears to be a few more than last year. I have started to feed them with diluted tomato fertiliser and put on the Hydrangea colourant. This will change the flowers to various shades of blue or mauve. It is more controllable in pots, but if you usually have pink flowers, and garden on alkaline (chalky) soil, and want blue flowers, now is the time to start sprinkling it on the soil around the plant. White flowers will remain unchanged.

The lillies have sailed through despite the weather; however with the sun came the lilly beetles. These need to be dealt with pretty quickly, as not only do they eat the leaves, their offspring completely decimate the plants, leaving a foul slimy mess. Provado spray should work but as soon as I see the orange beetle, I make it my mission to hunt them out, and destroy them - by hand!