Last week a kind friend gave me some cutting of some Mrs Simpkins, a lovely, fragrant member of the Dianthus family usually referred to as ‘Pinks’. Mrs S is a white pink – confusing, I know. I did read somewhere that the common name ‘pink’ refers to the shaggy edges to the flowers – they look as if they have been cut with a pair of pinking shears – rather than their colour. True or not, they are lovely, fragrant flowers. Whenever I smell their scent, it takes me back to my childhood where our next door neighbour had pinks edging her paths. Their perfume was just gorgeous.

My favourite Dianthus is the native Cheddar Pink. It stays quite neat, is low growing and has little, bright pink single flowers on and off throughout the summer and into autumn. They come true from seed, unlike the bigger and posher hybrids. Propagating pinks is easy and now is a good time. Chose healthy shoots with 4 or 5 pairs of leaves and cut cleanly below a joint. Cut off the bottom 2 or 3 pairs of leaves and insert the cuttings (sometimes called pipings) into gritty compost and keep damp. They will root within a few weeks.

June is also foxglove month. Their tall spires are lovely in almost any situation, in sun or part shade. They are usually biannual, germinating and growing a strong rosette of leaves in their first year, and flowering the next. They often run out of steam then and are best pulled out unless you want them to seed themselves about. The best variety I have found so far is ‘Excelsior’. They are a bigger, more varied version of the native foxglove and very easy to grow from seed. Sow them anytime now, get some soil to a fine tilth and sow them direct into the garden. Keep them watered and thin them out when they start to make decent little plants. If necessary move them where you want them at the beginning of Autumn to give them time to establish and you will have a fabulous show next summer.

The dust has settled and we are now recovered from the garden opening in April. Thank you if you supported us, we had 250 visitors and raised £940 for charity including plant sales. Apart from the seaside garden complete with a pebble estuary and deckchairs, the most admired plants in the garden were the pair of weeping pears at the side of the house. Their grown up name is Pyrus salicifolia Pendula, a really elegant tree with weeping branches clothed with downy, willow-like leaves. When we opened at the end of April they looked at their very best, with their delicate white flowers combining beautifully with the silvery green leaves. Underplanted with bluebells, wood anemones and white daffodils (Thalia) it was one area of the garden that was really appreciated by you garden lovers.

The work has started for the next opening, so please come and visit us. This time we are opening in the evening and will be offering a free glass of wine or juice to add to the experience! If you visited us in April the garden will look quite different; roses, clematis, foxgloves and the earlier perennials should be out and the garden will be much more lush. There are pictures of the garden in April now on our website: www.katescuttings.net

We are open on Wednesday 23 June 5 to 8.30. We hope to see you then.