THE weather has begun to feel a bit more like summer and the plants are starting to catch up with themselves. All the recent warmth, not to mention my plant feeding regime, have really given them all a push into summer.

It is so important to give container displays and hanging baskets a liquid feed every few weeks to encourage flowering. I’ve fed everything in the garden four times already this season and I can really see the results now.

The backdrop of summer annuals around both the pond and the back patio are quite magical to see.

Many different plants, so intertwined with each other, almost create an artist’s canvas with a stunning colour palette. We’ve now had quite a few visitors including a small group of volunteers from the Stanford and Cleveland Community Garden in the city, earlier in the week.

Visitor bookings are on the up and the freezer is full of cakes ready to serve to those who fancy tea and homemade cake served on vintage china in the garden. The first date for the National Garden Scheme on the June 29 is almost fully booked but there are many opportunities to book to see the garden on a private visit, with all monies raised from private visits going to Macmillan Cancer Support.

With the open garden season getting into full swing again, after the many issues last year, why not plan a garden visit on Father’s Day, next weekend, June 20. One of my regular readers, Melvyn Tarran, has asked me to mention the event he’s involved with, the Hassocks and Keymer Village Garden trail. The gardens are open from 1pm to 5pm with tickets at £5 available through St Peters and St James hospice website. Children join for free and a map will be provided. Refreshments will be available too along with free roadside parking, Spoil dad and take him along.

A job worth doing this weekend, if not already completed, is to pinch out the tips of fuchsias and bedding plants to encourage bushier growth. You might delay the flowering of the plants but the end result will be well worth it. I’ve got many fuchsias at Driftwood and this really helps to prevent them getting too leggy and creates nice shaped shrubs as part of the garden displays.

A big job I’ve completed this week has been to cut back the large Elaeagnus hedge at the side of the beach garden. The garden is always full of birds and I’ve left it so late as feared there were many nesting in there too. It has made a real difference making it much easier to come up the garden path.