TODAY is the perfect time to remind you of all the upcoming glories of open gardens and spring shows as it is the first day of the Malvern Spring Show.

If you dislike the thought of jostling shoulder to shoulder with people and getting to see nothing that you wanted to, then try this show. It is small enough to get around everything but big enough to attract some fantastic growers from all over the place, especially ones based in Wales and oop north.

To get there, I recommend the A419 then on to the A417 Ledbury road. You will come to a teensy place called Corse and see a B road sign for Malvern. Do not take it yet – instead, follow the main road round and on the right is Staunton Garden Centre. It’s a great place to stop for a coffee or even a late breakfast and a trip to the loo. Then back in the car and head back to the mini roundabout to take the left B4208 – easy!

Other excitements involve National Garden Scheme Open Gardens (The Yellow Book) and include our very own Sharcott Garden near Pewsey, and Broadleas Garden in Devizes. And, with my chair of Devizes and Roundway In Bloom hat on, a heads-up about our own third Open Garden weekend in aid of the Mayor’s charities. This year the weekend is June 13 and 14. For more info see the Open Gardens UK Directory, look for posters around the place in Devizes or ask me if you see me.

And the last thing to tell you about before we get on is that the wonderful Anna Pavord is coming back to see us at the garden centre on June 11. She will talk about Bulbs for All Seasons, which I think will be another inspirational talk, especially as I think a lot of us think daffodil rather than camassia when we think of bulbs, if you follow me. Tickets are available from the tills.

Onwards – your early flowering herbaceous perennials such as pulmonarias and helleborus orientalis will have gone over by now so they will need some attention. With pulmonarias, cut the whole lot down to the ground, leaves and all. If you need to lift and split them, do it now. With hellebores, lift and split if needed or if not, deadhead as they will seed like mad.

Rockery plants such as aubretia, arabis and candytuft (Iberis) will need a good haircut once they have finished as they will grow leggy and unsightly otherwise.

Climbers will be putting on lots of growth so tie them in where you want them to grow. My clematis have put on huge growth bursts so I have given them a light feed around the base to keep them happy. But talking of growth bursts, please do not be lulled – the nights can still be cold so do not put the fleece away just yet, and pray for the apple, pear and plum growers whose entire crops can be damaged by late spring frosts.

If you have managed to keep tender stuff like pelargonium, argyranthemum and many fuschias going over the winter, they will have put on new growth from which you can take cuttings. Take new cuttings 3-4in long, trim below a leaf joint, pot into a cutting or multi-purpose compost, water in, cover with a plastic bag and put on a shady windowsill. They will root within four weeks and can then be potted on.