Do you remember me mentioning the mole who had discovered the joys of a newly laid and well watered lawn? Well, badgers make bigger holes than moles!

And now I’m not sure which is worse.

Fortunately, I have a man with hammer and nails who has (hopefully) secured the bottom of the fence against this stinky unwanted visitor.

This particular lawn, which appears to attract unwanted wildlife, seems to be growing at a phenomenal rate (mole manure?). If you were to accidentally doze off while lazing on the lawn one sunny afternoon, you would surely wake to find yourself lost in a hay meadow - tall grasses swaying above you gently brushed by a summer breeze. Well, maybe not quite that fast, but you get the idea.

On a recent visit to Stockton Bury Gardens www.stocktonbury.co.uk (which incidentally is well worth a visit - a real delight to walk round, explore and just be in), as well as plenty of lush summer growth, I was amazed by the number of bumble bees in a border crowded with mixed herbs. The marjoram seemed to be more bee than flower.

I have noticed that this year, there does seem to be an abundance of beneficial insects - hover flies and ladybirds, bumble bees and butterflies. I have even seen several big black ground beetles. It’s very gratifying for us gardeners.

Is it because we are becoming more aware and making sure that our gardens include ‘insect-friendly’ plants? Avoiding those fluffy, multi-petalled, blowsy, non-nectar and pollen things that no self respecting bee would approach, and leaving a few nettles for the Tortoise Shell butterflies?

It’s a good excuse for leaving a few weeds in the borders isn’t it - “Oh, it’s for the wildlife”. And un-mown lawns - “It’s for the insects”. We can count ourselves lucky that weeds and wildlife are very ‘in’ at the moment. But there is a limit, and for me Messrs Mole and Brock are definitely ‘out’.