I do general watering either early in the morning, or at dusk, both very special times in the garden, and judge the amount by the look of the plant, rather than by routine. During bouts of very hot weather, I move the pots to a shadier part of the garden.

Plants in pots are entirely at our mercy, so will need to be fed regularly during their growing season. I use occasional doses of liquid seaweed or tomato feed and am experimenting with a foliar feed by microbz.co.uk, which uses chemical-free combinations of cultured microbes to promote beneficial bacteria in the soil. Its website sells compost activators, soil conditioners and pond balancers, as well as pet health probiotics and water treatments.

Keep these star performing plants in tip-top condition with plenty of dead heading and staking, and when they’re past their best, move them offstage, out of the way.