Amongst all the discussion of Chelsea's centenary show this year, I'm pleased the opportunity's been taken to produce a suitably celebratory book . Brent Elliott is the author and as he's historian to the RHS, this is the best possible choice. I've heard him speak on a couple of occasions and really appreciate how his dry sense of humour brings his subject to life, particularly when detailing...

Herefordshire Russet & Red Windsor - I'm rather liking the apple, Pulmonaria and Dicentra combo at the bottom left Most years, my garden's apple blossom falls between April and May's Blooms Days . This year its timing is perfect and I was relieved to find the bees buzzing amongst the blooms despite the cooler weather we're having lately. March's extreme cold means it's a bumper year for apple...

I first tasted this delicious cordial at Sarah Raven's Grow Cook Eat day in aid of Horatio's Garden in March. Sarah has kindly given me permission to reproduce the recipe here on Veg Plotting . I'll be adding my own notes from the day and from making my own, though you can also view the original recipe on Sarah's website. As you can see the result is a pearlescent cordial with just a hint of pink...