McVicars growing tips

Jekka McVicar knows a thing or two about growing in the garden and greenhouse.

She has afterall won 13 gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and holds the presidency of the West of England Herb Group.

Ms McVicar recently wrote in the Daily Mail that gardeners who intend to grow their own food this year should not get ahead of themselves and grow more than they need.

"Sow what you will eat, not what you think you would like to eat," she wrote in the newspaper.

As well as a number of other gardening tips, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) council member suggested that now is a good time to plan and order the seeds you will need for the next 12 months.

Gardeners who wish to attract bees to their plants should think about cultivating blue-flowering varieties such as borage.

Described by the RHS as the "ultimate event in the gardening calendar", the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is held in late May.