What to grow:

As a keen UK gardener, I try hard not to let the weather influence what I do too much. Often easier said than done. If I did, I think I’d likely spend around 50 per cent of my time wrapped up warm indoors, promis- ing to finish off the pruning/mulching/watering another day – one with blue sky and sunshine.

Recently, in between the gale force winds of storms Dudley, Eunice and Gladys (they sound like people I’d like to sit down for a cuppa with, not batten down the hatches against!), even the hardiest gardeners have thought twice before stepping out into the great outdoors.

But now the storms have passed and after a bit of time away from the garden, I’m so excited to get back to it. This month I’m planting Nigella, or as they are commonly known ‘love-in-a-mist’. They are incred- ibly easy to grow and have such pretty colourful flowers and fabulous feathery foliage.

How to grow:

Nigella plants are hardy annuals so can be grown outdoors from March and April, before coming in to flower in early June through to August. First off, choose the spot where you would like them to grow, they can be grown in large pots, or directly in the ground. For the purpose of this piece, I will be sowing directly into the ground, but the same rules apply. Nigella plants like well-drained soil and full sunshine, so choose a spot that gets lots of natural light and warmth from the sun.

Then, to give the seeds a good start, I put down a thin layer of peat free, multi-purpose compost. Seeds can be sown around 1cm deep and 15cm apart – as the plants grow, they spread, so need lots of space. When you sow too close together, plants will often have to compete for nutrients, water and light and you can end up with smaller plants and less vibrant flowers. Water them in well and wait for them to grow.

There are so many varieties to choose from, I tend to go for Nigella ‘Delft Blue’, which produces a mix of blue and white flowers.

Greenescape:

This month, I’m enjoying the wonders of Plashet Park. A year in to writing this column, discovering new green spaces is still just as exciting as when I started and Plashet Park was no exception, it made for a brilliant discovery on a blustery day!

The park is just big enough for you to feel like you’re not in the centre of East Ham, but small enough to navigate and not get lost in. It’s a well maintained space, with a paved walk way and some beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers. It also has a range of excellent amenities including basketball courts, a children’s play area, a café, cricket nets, bowls, toilets and tennis courts (the tennis courts needs a little TLC), but everything else was well kept.

There was a great buzz to it, lots of family enjoying the playground, runners and walk- ers out for some exercise and people making the most of the other sports facilities. Can’t wait to go back in the summer sun, to sit and soak up the space with a picnic!

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