A new series on roses, the perfect small garden, and a very good book. Plus: beware of tulip-ordering just yet

I'm on a mission to convert the world to roses. Don't be scared of them - embrace them instead

There’s been sun, rain and wind. We’re still eating outside while the spiders are spinning their webs. If you have a green space of your own, you’ll know how incredibly lucky you are. If you haven’t, is there a park near work or home that you could go and sit in during a free moment, where you can breathe in summer? We’ve started to make a list of those green public spaces all over the world here.

And in that truly British way, hosepipe bans are starting to kick in just as the downpours of rain begin - if you’re in the UK, check with your water supplier, but the general rule is that you can water with watering cans but not hoses. In my area, you’re allowed to use trickle irrigation and to water trees that have been in for less than a year - check your restrictions.

I wouldn’t be doing any planting till September now, but if you’re desperate to have a bit of colour and you don’t mind making work for yourself, there are some ideas for super-low-maintenance-drought-tolerant pots here.

The Rose Diaries - a new series

The more I talk about roses, the more people ask for more. It turns out that there’s still an element of trepidation when it comes to roses - there’s an idea that they’re high-maintenance, difficult, demanding and temperamental. Not so.

You’ll probably have worked out that I’m on a mission to enable everyone to find a rose that suits them, and to demystify this beauty, and this new series seemed the obvious step in my mission to fill gardens and green spaces with my favourite plant. We’ll be looking at planting ideas, combinations and maintenance, dispelling myths along the way.

We'll be exploring varieties that fit every lifestyle and garden situation. Rugosas which thrive with minimal fuss, prolific repeat-flowering shrub roses that reward you with months of colour, roses for pots. Whether you're a complete beginner intimidated by pruning shears or someone who's tried roses before, I’m hoping to give you the confidence to welcome in the roses… and I’m REALLY hoping you’ll find it useful, and that you’ll enjoy it.

DO NOT order tulips just yet

Heading your way in a few days’ time is the list of gardening jobs that we can be getting on with, along with those all-important not-to-dos. But in the meantime, an urgent warning: I’ve spotted the word ‘tulips’ being mentioned - by all means feel free to have a look, but please, please, PLEASE don’t be seduced by people tempting you to order tulips unless the supplier will confirm that they won’t send tulips in August or September. You don’t want to plant tulips till November anyway, so you certainly don’t want to be storing them in exactly the wrong environment for three months. More on this below, along with some collections to browse through, but only to browse, remember! And there’s the Tulip Cheat Sheet.

Romantic plants

What makes a romantic plant? You can find some of my Top 100 romantic plants here - I’ve been exploring what it is that makes a plant, and a garden, romantic, and how you can do this at home.

The perfect tiny garden - you too can do this at home

In a very special garden open to visitors, I take you in to peek into a corner that’s usually under lock and key. It’s the perfect example of how to deal with the smallest of spaces, creating an exquisitely-romantic garden that lures you in and makes you want to stay.

Here we go:

Just look at the size of this: I’m in there for scale and I know some would say I’m vertically-challenged, but have you EVER seen anything like this before: