Its been a warm week in the Garden, but that hasn’t stopped our horticultural team getting on with jobs that simply need to be done at this time of year. There are veggies to be planted out along with a whole host of annual plants that need to get established. Self sown seeds such as the poppies and the nigella (love in a mist) are already flowering, the Irises have trumpeted their blooms and the herbaceous border is lighting up with colour. The climbing rose ‘Cecile de Brunner’ has romped its way over the Conservatory roof and wall where it is treating us to the most delicious wafts of perfume. You can see it from the High Street and Magdalen Bridge with its small pink flowers polka dotting the tangle of green stems as it scrambles up to the sun. Apparently a Rose Grower in the late 19th century named it after his daughter, and what a compliment, it has such a beautiful colour and scent.

As with every other gardener in the country we are busy hoeing, weeding, watering, edging lawns, mowing lawns and generally trying to keep on top of jobs. So spare a thought for the horticultural team, although it’s a lovely week to be in the Garden, there’s no idyllic resting under shady trees for us!

We have also been enjoying the first harvests of the vegetable beds. We have dined on shocking pink, peppery radishes and also some delicious turnips, a variety called ‘snowball’. yes you heard me – delicious. So things are looking up, apart from the prospect of a wet picnic.

But if you do feel brave we kick off from 1pm. This summer we are celebrating the wealth of literature that has been inspired by gardens and the great outdoors. This week we are toasting The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a true children’s classic. There will be tours, trail, seed sowing, stories with Rand our favourite storyteller and smooth Jazz with the Tim Dawes band.