There are a couple of stunning gardens opening on both days for the National Garden Scheme this weekend.

On the road between Seaford and Alfriston, a stunning garden overlooking the Cuckmere Valley, Follers Manor, opens between midday and 5pm.

If you fancied a trip a little further afield then drive to Pett, near Hastings to see Fairlight End, soon to be seen on BBC Gardeners World. It’s open from 11am to 5pm.

Full details at www.ngs.org.uk

There is still lots of work to do in my own garden this week, getting ready for the opening next week for a local Sussex Charity, Family Support Work.

The recent winds really did damage my trees and shrubs and probably to your own in the garden as well.

When the wind blows, the rapid air movement causes moisture to be lost from foliage and from the soil.

And, if the soil is also dry, plants may not be able to replace moisture lost from leaves fast enough.

The leaves soon become desiccated and scorched. I spent time cutting damaged leaves off and then wondered if they looked better burnt or bald!

I was careful to place some plants in pots against the house wall as it was a little more sheltered but be careful to avoid a position where buildings create a wind tunnel.

I managed to wrap up those I was not able to move with some winter fleece, which saved the day.

One thing to remember to encourage recovery, is to feed your plants with general-purpose fertiliser.

If you have the space, a nice thing to do at this time of year, is to fill a large planter with sub-tropical plants, a perfect way to add instant impact to your garden.

It gives you the chance to fulfil your wildest planting ambitions and grow bold, statuesque plants.

Many sub-tropical or tender plants are perfect for planting in a large container, as they provide masses of growth in just one season.

The impact made to your garden can be mindblowing.

Plants that will work well for you are things like aeoniums, cannas, euphorbias, martini and mellifera and maybe some dahlias.

There are plenty of alternative containers you can find by mooching around garden centres and antique shops.

A good idea is to position the container where you want to keep it, and then place the potted plants in to decide how to position them, before you actually fill it with compost and firm them in.

Do remember to place a layer of broken pots along the bottom of the container to provide good drainage. Puncture holes also to allow water to drain away.

Read more on Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk or go and see it for yourself when it opens on the July 1 from 11am to 5pm.