Now, you will probably have a very well-weeded garden if you have taken any notice at all of my columns in the last couple of months! This will really benefit you from this month onwards as things zoom into growth. Tidy up spring flowering plants such as Helleborus x hybridus (deadhead if you don’t want them to seed), Pulmonaria (cut off all the tatty leaves and old flowerheads) and Euphorbia polychroma and E. Griffithii (shear off the top third of the plant to keep it deadheaded and a nice shape). Do remember that Euphorbia produces a milky sap, which can cause severe irritation so wear gloves when handling!

Sow some runner beans as the soil warms up, making a wigwam of bamboo canes for the beans to twine up. The cultivar ‘White Lady’ is very pretty if you fancy white flowers for a change. I make a hole before I sow the beans and empty my compost from the kitchen in there for a few days – peelings, tea bags etc. I then sow my beans on the top on a layer of soil the usual depth, and this helps keep the moisture in which the beans so love.

Look out for the bright red lily beetles on your lilies and fritillaries. You can either just pick and squash or use an insecticide like Provado ultimate bug killer, which is systemic and will kill the larvae when they start to munch on the plant. The larvae are disgusting looking as they cover themselves with their sticky black poo, so gloves might be the order of the day! You can also spray Polygonatum x hybridum (Solomon’s Seal) as they unfurl to stop the dreaded Sawflys turning them into lace! Do any spraying in the evening to limit the effect on beneficial insects.

You should be able to start hardening off tender herbaceous plants which you may have bought in the tempting indoor displays in the garden centres and nurseries. If you stick them straight outside it can really knock them back, so it is best practice to spend a week or so taking them outside during the day, and popping them back into the greenhouse or conservatory at night, gradually leaving them for longer and longer until they are out all night. Keep an eye on the weather in case of frosts. You can make a cold frame out of old windows, perspex off–cuts etc, and place in a warm sheltered spot. Raise the lid in the day to circulate the air and cover over at night if you have no greenhouse.