Now that the garden is heading into summer there is a plethora of horticultural pleasures to be seen at Nymans. The June borders are beginning to brim with the promise of bright and beautiful perennials. Azaleas, roses and wisteria will also soon be bursting to life, filling the garden with scent and colour.

There’s lots to be getting on with at this time of year and at Nymans it is finally time to plant out the summer border. We spent all winter preparing the soil, planning the design and growing the plants for our biggest, boldest and brightest floral display of the year. It seems all our hard work has nearly paid off.

Bedding plants are a quick and easy way of adding colour to even the smallest of gardens. They can be grown from seed between January and April, or you can buy them as plug plants from all garden centres ready for planting as soon as frosts have passed. There is such a variety of bedding plants to choose from that there is a plant to suit every colour pallet and style, so why not treat your garden to a few new pretty additions this May.

With summer rapidly approaching, it is a good idea to plan ahead. Plants need the most water when it’s hot and dry and at Nymans we have a lot of plants. So to ensure that they don’t ever have to go without water we have three huge water tanks that collect and store the water that runs off the glasshouse roof. We collect 150,000 litres a year and use it to water the plants in the nursery. However, we try not to over-water our plants as this avoids them becoming dependant on constant watering.

Water butts are very easy to install at home too and they can be fixed to sheds and garages. The average house can collect up to 24,000 litres of run-off rainwater a year, which could certainly help to beat hose pipe bans and ensure your garden stays happy and healthy all summer long.

  • Nymans, Handcross, nr Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6EB, Tel: 01444 405250, www.national trust.org.uk/nymans
  • Gardens, woods, restaurant, shop and plant centre open every day (except Dec 25). House open every day from Mar 1 to Oct 31