We love may

Oh blimey, summer is nearly here: sun on our faces and joy in our hearts. I had snoozed off a little and suddenly realised that everything is growing like crazy and the garden, which for the past few months has been quite well behaved, is now flowering and growing and doing its thing with extreme enthusiasm. I would like to think that the universal distress call of "May Day, May Day" was inspired by this moment (it wasn't of course: it comes from the French "m'aidez", meaning "help me". Anyway, let us all shake off the travails of winter, gird our loins and wander into the garden.

- JAMES ALEXANDER-SINCLAIR

STAR OF THE MONTH

Geranium sylvaticum 'Mayflower' 

To be honest, this may not be the most exciting and rare plant in the world: it is not going to make an edelweiss anxious or an orchid lose sleep. No botanist is going to set the groves of academe afire by talking about this particular plant. However, an early summer herbaceous border would be a lesser place without a scattering of geraniums along the edges of borders. Their job is partly to conceal the knobbly knees of their taller neighbours, as well as to entertain the world with a simple flower as pleasing and as blue as a May Day sky.

If planted in full sun make sure it does not dry out. Divide plants in spring. Height x Spread 70cm x 30cm

ACID TEST 

Everybody falls in love with this plant but, like all the best temptations, not everybody can possess it. Sorry to those of you with alkaline soils, apologies to chalky gardeners and regrets to those who like to spread a bit of manure on their borders: this is not the plant for you. It needs well-drained, acid soil, I am afraid. If you can give her that then you have a treat in store.

Embothrium coccineum

Part of the Proteaceae family, hence the fussiness. Propagate from seed or mid-summer cuttings with bottom heat. H x S 6m x 4m

COMING INTO PORT

Like many plants with dark, velvety petals, this is very seductive. The foliage is crisp and green but that is nothing compared to the flower. Petals like vintage port, flame-coloured filaments and that glorious palisade of pollen as golden as a sunrise. In the words of Bob Dylan: "a million faces at my feet but all I see are dark eyes". Not necessarily a song about plants, but you get my drift.

Paeonia 'Dark Eyes'