What a brilliant day we had; our Beltane Fayre was an incredible success. The hall was stunning and smelt of huge bunches of lilacs I had picked, the soulful music of harps and flutes was perfectly played throughout the hall and the Maypole Cafe was absolutely delightful with its blue-checked tablecloths and potted bluebells and tulips. Gardeners Crafting Diary of Wonderment May 2026

I will discuss the sort of plants that are really easy to grow; mostly they all self-seed with ease and need little care, to create the backbone to an English cottage garden. Whilst it is easy to admire a blooming cottage garden, it is rare to consider how much work is involved and in truth, it should all look after itself for most of the year