Hardly any breathing space running up to the Shrewsbury Flower Show on the 10th / 11th August.

Mother Nature Has thrown a few spanners in the works, such as rust, water-logging and slugs - this has meant last minute visits to nurseries to re-stock.

It didn’t help that the ‘Blue Velvet’ Sweet Peas which I had nurtured from seed to strong healthy plants (despite the appalling growing conditions!), have turned out not to be a deep rich blue at all, but a non-descript purple!

Mother Nature’s setbacks I can accept and cope with, but when it comes to one of the UK’s top retail seed merchants letting me down….

But I am confident… if not just a teensy bit apprehensive!