I’ve always wanted to visit the Royal Gardens at Highgrove, so when I discovered Prince Charles talking about the gardens on the BBCs Gardeners Question Time I was very excited indeed.

While I love nothing more than a beautiful garden, I think it’s equally important that an outdoor living space is beneficial for birds, animals and insects. As an avid nature lover, I wanted to share this latest guest blog from a company called Living With Birds – an online supplier of wild bird food, bird feeders and wildlife supplies.

This week (11th-17th April) is National Gardening Week– an initiative set up by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 2011 to celebrate all things related to gardening.

Whether your outdoor space consists of a large back garden or a small sunny window sill, why not put it to best use by growing some simple vegetables to make your own salad?

March is the month for snowdrops, which is terribly exciting for us gardeners as these little white flowers signify the arrival of spring.

If you’re keen to transform your garden but don’t have the resources to invest in a garden designer then I may have a solution for you.

When I got my allotment I knew I’d struck lucky when I saw it had a large shed in it. While it may have been made of old wood which looked a bit sad and grey, it was a great size, had a large panel of glass at the front…

When it comes to nourishing your soil and giving your plants the nutrients they need to grow into strong and healthy specimens, the most cost-efficient and effective way is to produce your own compost.

Snowdrops and star gazing, stunning views of the Highlands, inner city allotment veg patches, scenic Scottish burns and sensory flower borders are some of the horticultural highlights in 66 new gardens opening to the public for Scotland’s Gardens in 2016.

Autumn officially started this week and the beautiful tomato-like rosehips are starting to ripen on the wild rose hedgerows which line the canal near my house.

On Saturday I attended a herbal first aid day course at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. Not only did it add to my knowledge about the healing powers of some of our native plants, it also made me think about gardening in a whole new light.

My first experience of ferns and gardening came a couple of years ago when I had to shift a well-established one that was starting to dislodge part of my allotment fencing.

Nothing beats a weekend wander around a beautiful garden. Whether it’s a stately home, a National Trust property or a community growing space, I always find it the best form of inspiration, as well as an educational experience in different garden layouts, designs and exciting new plants and cultivars.

I’m very privileged to feature in Scot’s Magazine this month and to be writing a weekly blog on the magazine’s website throughout July.

If you’re anything like me you’ll have a glut of rhubarb in the garden that needs to be used up this month. I’m a big fan of a rhubarb crumble, but it is summer and a crumble isn’t the lightest of desserts.

It would be fair to say my inaugural visit to the Chelsea Flower Show last Friday surpassed even my greatest expectations.

It doesn’t matter where in the world you are, what language you speak or which religion you follow, flowers are an international symbol of peace and happiness.

Like many Scottish growers, I’ve already fallen victim to our very changeable weather conditions this year. I knew I would. The words “I told you so” were echoing in my ears as I planted out my beautiful little runner bean seedlings last Sunday in the glorious April sunshine.

I spent this weekend in Fife, braced for a cool and wet blast of weather as per the forecast. We went for a trip to St Andrews to visit the museum and took a walk through the University grounds where there were colourful tulips and primulas in abundance.