Yesterday,  we made a whirlwind visit to Wales to my generous and green-fingered mother and came back today with a car boot full of healthy and hopeful tomato plants. A really lovely selection I haven’t grown myself. After planting Costoluto Fiorentino, Gardeners Delight, Latah and Galina, I realised I had forgotten Sungold which is probably my favourite one of all. Luckily in Cardiff my mother had been carefully nurturing them, along with Sweet Aperitif, Ferline, Shirley, Harbinger and Sun Cherry.

A few of the many healthy tomato plants

So soon (at least when the nights are reliably warmer), I will be planting my daffodil and tulip bulbs into the ground and using the freed up pots for tomatoes which will circle our south facing front garden for the summer until the frost. Some will be risked at the allotment, but expect them to be victims of the inevitable blight.

This year focusing on the plot, vegetables and the allotment have been more than usually neglected so the four courgette Romanesco were another well timed gift. They look bright green, healthy and ready to flower.

And on the way home today we stopped off at  Derry Watkins’ very special Special Plants nursery. Stocked up on seeds had been planning to buy on internet and picked up Tom Thumb Pittosporum, Penstemon Raven, and unusual violas to replace the ones which have worked so hard in pots over the winter.

A very pretty plant which will look good and be useful for foliage too.