At Glyndebourne we are busy forking over the flower beds and borders. Even for us hardened gardeners this is back-breaking work so I would advise that, like us, you dig in short spells.

Forking over beds and borders will be more important this year than most due to the persistent heavy rain that poured down during winter, which will have compacted the earth. Opening up the soil will enable plants to put down stronger roots. It is also important when forking over and digging to remove as much perennial weed roots as possible such as bind weed, couch grass, ground elder and nettles.

We rarely use weed killer at Glyndebourne as we find that spending time picking out weed roots when digging does the trick. This is a tedious job but worthwhile as it will give you a good start with your weed control. And remember not to put perennial weeds into the compost, otherwise you will spread them around the rest of the garden.

Although we’ve had a wet winter it has been very mild, which is good news for tender plants usually killed off by heavy frosts. One of Glyndebourne’s iconic plants, the tall blue Echium pininana (left), has really benefixted from the mild weather.

This beautiful plant, a native of the Canaries, gives a tropical feel to the garden and proves quite a talking point with guests. In its first year it will grow about 1m high and form a large rosette of lance-shaped hairy leaves. But it’s in its second year that this plant really comes into its own, turning into one of the most spectacular in our garden. As the weather starts to warm up it will spring into life, growing rapidly upwards, sometimes reaching 4m or more, with thousands of tiny blue flowers.

It is an impressive sight, made all the more exciting by the bees that buzz around it. I often stand and watch the bees at work on Echiums and get a feeling that all our hard work is worth it. Seeing the number of Echiums that are soon to flower I know that myself, the bees and Glyndebourne’s visitors are in for a special treat this year.

  • Glyndebourne’s gardens are open to ticket holders for Glyndebourne Festival (May 17 to August 24) only. Tickets from £10 to £250 via Glyndebourne.com or 01273 815000