You've done the Chelsea Chop, the Derby Day Box Clip, the Jitterbug Jive and now it's time for the Hampton Hack (I might be confused on one of the above ...).

So named because it takes place at a similar time to the Hampton Court Flower Show (and because no one could think of anything alliterative to tie it to Wimbledon), this involves cutting back shrubs and perennials to encourage a fresh flush of flowers, in the case of Penstemon and woody-stemmed Salvias - such as Hot Lips - by reducing them by half.

If you are heading off on holidays do your summer 'hack' before you go away, so you can return to lovely regrowth and miss the alarming-gaps-where-a-glorious-floral-display-use-to-be stage. It is particularly worth doing to anything growing in pots, as the less plant there is on top, the less water the roots need to find.

My holidays, to the eternal chagrin of my other half, always include at least one whip round a nursery or plant stall to see what ‘the competition’ is up to.

On local days out, this tends to involve bumping into our own plants, because hanging basket supremo Angela seems to have made beautiful displays for every other pub, hotel and house in east Suffolk, and because Katie’s Garden plants are sold at a number of tourist hotspots, among them Snape Maltings, Alder Carr, Bridge Farm Plants in Monks Eleigh, and Grange Farm Shop in Hasketon, all of which have recently expanded their plant sale areas.

This year, servicing ‘The Empire,’ as we fondly refer to it, has needed two shiny new delivery vans and the hiring of assistants to help gather up plants for Jackie and Christine, who now have more time to spend out and about making enticing displays at our outlets.

Late-potted batches of bedding and annuals such as Dahlias, Zonal Geraniums, Cosmos, Dianthus, Nicotianas and Rudbeckias are still going out in the vans and on the nursery, as we like to have fresh varieties for as long as possible – everyone always has “one last space” to fill!

Forever one step ahead, the unstoppable potters of Katie’s Garden are now potting-on Garden Mums and shrubs ready for autumn, with pansies and violas high on the to-do list.

The perennial potting queue never seems to end, but it does mean there is always something newly flowering to go out to ‘The Empire’!

‘Tis the season of the open garden, as the saying doesn’t go.

Open garden events are a great opportunity to get inspiration and gather up ideas for your own patch of land, whether it be clever planting combinations, or simply seeing what can be grown in local conditions.

A lovely day out for the visitors, but a more stressful proposition for the hosts, who will have spent the preceding weeks simultaneously praying for hot, sunny weather to bring the lavenders out in time for the big day, and cursing it as the delphiniums’ flowers threaten to finish.

We had a taste of this with our entry in the Suffolk Show (which was awarded Large Gold, “Which is like an A+!” as I have proudly told anyone who has strayed within conversation distance of me).

We had hoped to include Penstemons, Fuchsias, Dahlias and Salvias in our showcase, as we grow so many varieties, but it wasn’t to be as none had cracked open more than a handful of buds by the end of May.

A week later the Salvia Hot Lips were smothered in red and white blooms, the ‘P’ lane of the Perennial A-Z was a kaleidoscope of flowering Penstemons and whereas we had only a handful of Roses to pick for the show there were now a 100 or more in flower.

With two acres of plants, we were always confident we would have more than enough to choose from, but it highlighted how much changes in a short period of time.

To keep your garden going, buy a good spread of plants and be prompt and ruthless when it comes to removing old blooms. Those mentioned above will stay colourful from now until autumn, particularly if you keep deadheading.

To encourage a second flowering period, the likes of Lupins, Delphiniums, Verbascums, Geraniums, Leucanthemums and Campanulas can be cut right back to a few inches – leaves and all.

If this leaves temporary gaps, annuals such as Cosmos, cornflower and tobacco plants are invaluable for taking on the baton.

You should also pace yourself when it comes to purchases; don’t fill every available space the moment the days get longer than the nights, or you will miss out on the later-flowerers, as well as those patio and basket plants that aren’t available until it’s warmer, such as the beautiful Angelonias, Coleus, Lantanas, Zinnias and Clown Torenias.

Everybody knows to expect pandemonium at the shops in the third week of December, and that you had better not turn up at a restaurant on 14th February without having made a reservation, but the fact that the bank holiday weekends in May are the peak of the horticultural calendar is under most people’s radar.

A frenetic time for the nursery worker, as you juggle heading off to the growing area to see if the yellow Cosmos are big enough to sell because there’s a chap after some; noticing it would be prudent to water the tomatoes yet again (very thirsty plants, and if you don’t keep their watering on an even keel the fruit end up with tough skins); talking one couple through the climbers that will grow on north-facing walls, explaining that any climber should be planted at least a foot from the wall and will be grateful for any goodness that can be added to the soil; stopping to help a lady who’s wondering if you have: “that plant that looks like a foxglove, but with yellow flowers? You had it at the Suffolk Show last year.” “Umm … oh, Verbascum ‘Gainsborough’. Far end of the perennial A-Z, on the right there,” and thrusting a ‘Plants for Coastal Sites’ list in the hands of another couple, with the promise you’ll be back in a moment to properly talk them through their options.

It’s completely natural that we all get busy planting in May. Most plants have started to show themselves and the days can be nice enough for sitting out and drinking in the sights of your garden. Time enough to get inspired: some red flowers over there would make the border ‘pop’; a ground-covering shade lover underneath that shrub would really enhance the area; and it would be lovely to have some pots of herbs on the patio. You’ll be able to use them next time you have a barbecue (definitely).

And when you get to the garden centre you’re confronted with a smorgasbord of blooms to tempt.

Any perennials or annuals planted in summer should be watered every day or two for a few weeks, until they get their roots settled. If you forget, and the plant wilts apparently beyond help, the best course of action is often to cut it down to a few inches to let it recover: if in doubt, ask your friendly local nursery worker for advice!

“Have you got any Petunias?”

The first request for summer bedding is, to the garden centre worker, like the first cuckoo of spring.

This year’s unseasonably warm weather had us being asked while it was still officially winter, and I already had my shorts on before March was out (apologies for any trauma caused to witnesses to my skinny pins).

At our Newbourne nursery we take pride in often not being the first. The early supermarket specimens have usually been forced in heated glasshouses, which does them no good at all when they come face to face with the British climate, especially when nights can still be cold. Once you’ve trained your eye, it is easy to spot the sickly pallor and floppy habit (not unlike a tech-addicted teenager).

Plants spurred on by nothing more than quality compost and slow-release fertiliser have vibrant, verdant, bushy growth, which should lead to bigger, healthier plants and more flower power (and less chucking failed purchases on to the compost heap).

The Easter weekend is seen as the start of the gardening season, although I’m sure most of you will have already been tempted out to give borders and beds a freshen up.

We will be open throughout as the Easter Sunday trading laws don’t affect us, despite the nursery covering two acres. The rules are based on the size of your indoor shop and we have a ‘mere’ 1,500 square foot of greenhouse open to the public, which is only now beginning to fill up with the first of those Petunias and other patio and vegetable plants everyone has been so impatient to get their hands on.

The rest is outdoors, including half-an-acre dedicated to cottage garden plants and other interesting perennials – and it still doesn’t feel like enough space for all the different varieties we’re growing! This is an exciting time of year when plants are racing into growth and something new pops into flower every week. Plant now and after a few weeks of watering in you will be able to enjoy a whole spring and summer of colour for little effort.

On a smaller scale, patio plants are perfect for creative types because you can play around with different combinations in your pots and baskets. Have some fun: harmonious hues, fiery oranges, reds and yellows, or maybe daring hot pinks with whites – the choices are almost limitless!

Nervously, the couple make their way across the nursery.

“Er, we’re new to gardening. Can you help us choose some plants?”

“No problem!” I say. “Is your garden sunny for most of the day, or would you say it’s quite shady?”

“Um… sunny?”

“And do you know what the soil’s like?”

“Brown?”

“Probably pretty average then.” I wave an expansive arm across the acre of plants we have and beam at them. “Sounds like you can grow pretty much everything that’s here.”

They continue to look at me with pleading eyes.

I continue to beam encouragingly. “Just find a few plants you like the look of and we can work from there.”

It’s a scene that has played out more than once during my time at Katie’s Garden.

But the first thing to know about gardening is that your garden should give you pleasure, and no-one can decide what pleases you but you.

Get inspiration
Local open-garden events, as featured in these very pages, are great places to get ideas. Also, flick through books and magazines and websites like Pinterest to get a feel for the kind of plants, colours, combinations and layouts that gladden your heart.

Copy your neighbours
If it grows well in your neighbours’ gardens, chances are it will 
grow well for you. Just don’t copy that retired couple who spend 
every daylight hour working in the garden – they’re operating at expert level.
If you don’t know the names of any plants, take photos with you to the nursery or garden centre, where staff should be able to help.

Keep it simple
A beginner’s mistake is to buy one of everything. But if you buy 50 different plants, you then need to remember how to care for 50 different plants. Find 10 plants you like and then buy five of each. Because there’s only so much space in your brain for this sort of stuff.

Get tooled up
The number of tools and gadgets available is mind-boggling. Start with a fork and spade (stainless steel if your soil is sticky) and a half-decent set of secateurs. Save anything else till you really think you need it.

Don’t worry about the lingo
“Perennial” means the plant will come back year after year (think of the phrase “perennial favourite”). “Annuals” live just one year. “Deciduous” means all the leaves fall off in winter. “Evergreen” means they don’t. “Hardy” means it won’t shrivel up and die at the first sign of frost. Don’t worry too much about the rest.

Bulbs will put a spring in your step
Flowering bulbs are so easy to care for that you will forget what you’ve got, making for fresh delight every year when they pop back up.
Most nurseries and garden centres now sell potted bulbs in spring, so you can see exactly what you’re getting and where they will be most effective.

Practice plants
Seasonal bedding plants, also known as patio plants, are a great way to get started. They are small and manageable and you’re not expected to keep them alive for more than six months. Think of them like the starter pets your parents made you have before they would let you have a dog. But with more scope for trying out colour combinations.

Size matters
If the label says it grows to five metres and you have room for only one metre, you might well be able to keep it pruned to size, but it could turn into a battle of wills as you spend yet another Sunday afternoon hacking the ruddy thing back.
Pick a plant that fits for a happy and harmonious future.

Soil’s boring, but soil matters
If puddles form on it, it’s poorly drained; if it’s reminiscent of muddy sand, it’s sandy; if you can’t think of any way of describing it other than “brown”, congratulations: you probably have average soil. Whatever it is, you will be able to find a list of plants that will thrive in it.
The greatest thing you can do for gardening success – both long-term and short-term – is to fork in organic matter to your soil, whether it be well-rotted manure, homemade compost or soil conditioner from the garden centre. The better the soil, the stronger and healthier your plants will be.

Pretty flowers are easier than 
tasty veg
Many people are first drawn to the garden by the desire to grow their own, but the pitfalls are many. Nature, raw in claw and beak and slime (and unceasing rain, late frost and limited sunshine), will conspire against you and it’s easy to become disheartened.
Earn your green fingers with ornamental plants and easy-to-grow perennial herbs – save learning about blight and sawfly and nematodes till at least year two of your gardening life.

Plant through the seasons
If you’re planting up a new border and you want it to look interesting all year round, you will either need good plant knowledge and strong powers of imagination… or to regularly go to your garden centre throughout the year to buy what’s looking good then.
Horticulturally, it is easier to plant in the cold months, but at this time of year you will be mostly looking at sticks in pots and seemingly empty pots of compost. Unless…

Evergreens
Because they don’t die down, you will always have something to admire. Most are also low-maintenance (there is no such thing as “no-maintenance”. I repeat: No. Such. Thing). If you prefer the leafy look to an abundance of flowers, try ferns, grasses, Pittosporums and Phormiums. Many herbs are evergreen, come in all sorts of colours, often attract wildlife, and of course taste nice.

Save your labels
Because Google can tell you how to look after your plant, but it cannot tell you what it actually is. For that, you will need the likes of me.

Depending on how you look at life, gardening involves a lot of either wishing your life away, or giving yourself plenty to look forward to.

In the heat of summer, clad in shorts and vests and brown as berries (it looks like suntan, but on closer inspection turns out to be a fine layer of compost stuck to suncream), the unstoppable potters at Katie’s Garden have been potting up around 3,000 winter pansies and violas every week, as well as hundreds more wallflowers, trailing pansies, chrysanthemums, Bellis and foliage plants in preparation for autumn and beyond.

In terms of planting for the future, it’s not exactly Capability Brown and his 18th century contemporaries planting trees “under whose shade they know they shall never sit in,”: the first batches have already hit the shelves in Newbourne and at the various outlets we supply across Suffolk, but it’s a start.

Because now is the time of year when you will reap the rewards of planning ahead.

It can be tempting to cling on to your summer bedding displays for as long as possible, but regret sinks in when you realise you’ve left it late to establish a really great show for the cooler, darker months.

They say there are no second chances in life, but in horticulture they come around every 12 months, so if you spent last autumn, winter and spring looking at a pot of increasingly dishevelled Pelargoniums and Petunias, get planting soon – you’ll be glad you did.

Bulbs are a great baby-step towards the art of delayed gratification. Planting in autumn, you can give yourself a succession of blooms for six months or more. Start with prepared Hyacinths that will quickly flower in December (I won’t use the C word), and then watch each month bring fresh delight as Crocus, cobalt blue Scillas, Russian snowdrops, Narcissus, Tulips, Fritillaries, bluebells, Alliums, Camassias and more take their turn to shine.

You’ll also be giving yourself a pat on the back if you get your shrubs, roses, climbers and perennials in soon. Evergreens, Pyracanthas, Perovskias (Russian Sage), Ceratostigmas (Shrubby Plumbago) and Buddleias – including dwarf varieties - will give an instant hit of colour, while the likes of Hydrangeas will have the chance to establish really good root systems to support better growth and more flowers next year and beyond.

And with any planting now, chances are, nature will take main responsibility for watering till they’re established!

If your borders are short on flowers right now, it is probably for one of two reasons: either you garden like my mother and assume anything that hasn’t sprung back to life by March 1st must be dead and hike it out.

Or, you garden like me, and cram so much in that when the summer and autumn perennials do try to pop their heads up above the soil – which can be as late as May or June – they find themselves instantly smothered by all the plants that woke from their winter slumbers rather earlier.

Simple solutions to both: a bit of patience for the former; clear marking for the latter so you keep the space clear.

With their long-term futures secured, you can get to the good part - choosing your plants.

There are a plethora of perennials, shrubs, climbers and grasses to brighten the summer months, including several that you might think you don’t like … but that’s just because you haven’t met the right variety for you.

Cases in point are the single Dahlias, whose simple daisy-like flowers convert many a sceptic at Katie’s Garden. Flowering all the way through from June to the first frosts and available in so many colours, Dahlias are pretty unbeatable at this time of year.

Also earning spots near the top of anyone’s shopping list are the hugely varied Salvias, Penstemon, Fuchsias, Crocosmia, Gaura (Whirling Butterfly), Coneflowers, Heleniums, African Lilies, Verbena bonariensis, Rudbeckias, Abelia shrubs and Hydrangeas.

For scent, look at Buddleias, Jasmines and Honeysuckles.

The third step to ensure an abundance of flowers is to get scissor happy.

It’s tempting to think the tattered remains of last month’s flowers are better than nothing. They’re not. Chop them off and in no time at all you should have lots of fresh regrowth and – depending on variety – fresh flowers too.

The sooner you do this the better.

Lately it feels like I have been spending most of my time at our nurseries in Newbourne and Monks Eleigh dispensing bespoke pruning advice to customers, but there are some broad rules.

The likes of Geraniums, Lupins, Delphiniums, Campanulas, Catmints and Verbascums can be cut down to just a few inches (leaves and all) for best results.

Trim off old flowers from evergreen shrubs such as Hebes, Ceanothus (California Lilac), Cistus (Rock Rose) and Lavender, as well as from Buddleias, Potentillas, Spiraeas and Roses and all are likely to reward you with new blooms.

When is a problem not a problem? When it’s an opportunity. Bear with me.

It’s easy to end up with a portfolio of plants, your tried and trusted favourites, and never try anything new. Then something puts a spanner in the works and you have to explore further into the horticultural world.

For example, my approach to planting borders could be summed up as: “If in doubt, stick in a Geranium.”(And by Geranium, I mean the perennial, not the summer bedding plant that was reclassified as Pelargonium in the 18th century, a change that has caught on as well with the British public as the metric system). But then bunnies invaded and I had to start looking for less appetising options, including herbs, Nepetas, Alchemillas, Brunneras, Salvias and Sedums.

To help our customers enter their brave new worlds we have an ever-expanding collection of plant lists for (nearly) every occasion hanging up in Shophouse and on our website, www.katiesgarden.co.uk. These cover everything from ‘windy and exposed sites’ - for the people of Felixstowe who insist it doesn’t have a coastal climate - to ‘climbers for north walls’.

The question staff get asked most - apart from: “Are you Katie?” which I suspect is unique to our nursery - is for plants that will grow in shade, so we went a step further and put up a whole tunnel dedicated to them.

Some of our customers have a Venn diagram of problems (sorry, opportunities). “We need something for dry, sandy soil,” said the couple. “No problem,” I said. It’s very common in our part of Suffolk, as we well know from recent planting jobs at Ipswich Hospital and Martlesham Tesco, so we grow plenty of suitable specimens.

“And it’s shady.” I mentally sluiced off anything requiring sunshine. “And deer get in.” I paused, then headed back to get the advice sheets.

Slugageddon is the headline story this year. The solution? Try an English country garden. Among the plants they usually bypass are Roses, Peonies, Lavenders, Garden Pinks, Geraniums (Pelargoniums too!) and all types of Fuchsias, from trailing and upright varieties for tubs and baskets, hardy bushes and the show-stopping climbing Fuchsia Lady Boothby.

If you prefer a more contemporary look, all grasses, ferns and Heucheras should escape their attention too.

If your problem is not enough colour, modern summer bedding and patio plants flower well into autumn, cater for absolutely all tastes, won’t break the bank and … there’s one for every situation.

‘Pretty plants that look nice together’ was not, I was informed, a suitably professional sounding theme for a display.

But ultimately that is what most of us are trying to achieve in our gardens.

Forget the nature-bending fantasy of Chelsea, you’ll have more fun with a less buttoned-up approach.

‘Proper’ gardening involves planting in the dormant months, but for instant pleasure you can’t beat picking the perfect perennial and putting it straight in the garden amongst flowering friends.

The easiest way to do this is to wander round the nursery with plant in hand, holding it up against potential candidates until you find the perfect border-mates; maybe the froth of a Lady’s Mantle, Mexican Fleabane or Geranium with the vertical spires of Foxgloves, Lupins and Delphiniums, or the pop of colour from a Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ or ‘Love and Wishes’.

And that was the fun of finalising our choices for our Suffolk Show stand: in the main, the plants volunteered themselves for the short trip from Katie’s Garden Plant Centre to the Suffolk Showground, waving their blooms in the air to call “pick me!”

It would have been nice if just one of the dozens of Peonies we have on the nursery had cared to open a bud in time, but no matter, they had only themselves to blame for missing out on a minibreak at Trinity Park. The Lavenders were budding prettily, the alpines were providing an array of shapes, textures and colours in miniature, and the herbs were looking fresh and enticing.

We can lay claim to good form with our own-grown herbs: it wasn’t so long ago that some of our fennel made their way into a Chelsea gold medal winning garden, having started life in the long border at our plant centre in Monks Eleigh. Although anyone who has visited Bridge Farm Plants will know it’s the behemothic Cardoons that deserve a prize.

Before the Suffolk Show, there was the small matter of delivering and hanging up all 99 of the Deben Inns’ floral baskets. I can report that Susie and Rick now have ladder skills to rival a window cleaner, and we have the perfect excuse for a staff pub crawl, to check on their progress (although it’s the desserts menus the Katie’s Garden team will be hitting hard, not the drinks!).

There aren’t many rights or wrongs in gardening. If you like a combination, then it’s right!

“Ooh!” excitedly exclaimed the lady, as she made a sudden lunge for the Campanulas. I flinched. The pleasure of plant shopping is the leisurely pace it is conducted at – our plant centre might be only a mile from the A12 but the setting couldn’t be much more rural. Fast moving customers are an alarming anomaly. (Although groups of women can get a little raucous as they call their friends’ attention to the latest treasure they’ve found.)

“That’s what’s coming up in my garden! What is it!?”

We often help customers identify mystery plants from photos and cuttings, but many manage it through such chance sightings on the nursery.

Late spring is a joyous time. Every day another plant pops its head up above the soil. The shrubs that have been lurking in the background suddenly burst into bloom: there’s no doubting whether we have any rock rose Cistus, Ceanothus (Californian Lilac) or Spiraea in stock once their flowers are out.

Turn your back for five minutes and spires of bud suddenly shoot up from non-descript ground-hugging leaves, revealing them to be foxgloves, Verbascums, Alliums or sweet rockets, ready to give a glorious show.

Seasons are a contentious issue, with some people following the meteorological calendar and others the astronomical. But the watershed moment for the East Anglian gardener is early May, when all risk of frost should have passed, and if it hasn’t, a strongly worded letter of complaint is in order to whoever is responsible for such matters.

This year has certainly taken us to the wire. But right on time, May 1st was a beautiful sunny day and the long-range forecast showed no more cold nights on the horizon – the starting gun has been fired.

We couldn’t wait at Katie’s Garden, the thousands of assorted perennials and lavenders that had been growing in our unheated glasshouses since autumn – from Salvias to Lupins, Heucheras to Geraniums and much more besides – came outside in April to make way for the Surfinias, Senetti, and other summer bedding our unstoppable potters keep producing.

The greenhouses also gave our hanging basket guru, Angela, a headstart, and it is now some weeks since she disappeared behind a proliferation of suspended floral displays of her own creation, emerging only occasionally for food, drink and fresh supplies of Lobelia.

Whatever you’re looking for, come and find something to make you go “ooh!” this month at Katie’s Garden Plant Centre!