Tara's May Letter

May is one of my favourite months. The landscape truly comes alive, with spring blossoming all around, lush green foliage as far as the eye can see and bursts of colour everywhere.

Bluebells and lily of the valley, two of my favourites, grace our gardens and countryside.

The flower of the month: lilac

As the cherry blossom fades, the beautifully scented lilac takes centre stage. Lilac is quintessentially the flower of May; like the cherry, it puts on a great show for a brief time and seduces us with its heady fragrance before fading for another year.

Its cone-shaped panicles, covered in tiny, delicate flowers, are one of the season's great sights. The lilac (Syringa vulgaris) belongs to the olive family and is native to the Balkans, where it grows on the tops of rocky hills; seeing it in its natural habitat would be a rare pleasure.

A lilac is still on my planting list, perhaps in a pot, as there are excellent miniature varieties that are perfectly happy in containers.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show

May brings one of my favourite events of the year: the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a superb show for all plant lovers.

For a great day out and plenty of inspiration, it never disappoints: remarkable gardens, floral displays that take your breath away, and experts at hand to offer advice. I always come away with a few new plants for the garden.

Whether you are at the start of your gardening journey, creating your first outdoor oasis, or an experienced gardener looking for a fresh perspective on planting, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is for you, and a day to enjoy from beginning to end.

Every May the RHS also holds National Gardening Week. Everyone is encouraged to take part, even with the smallest window box, and it is an excellent way for people who have never gardened to experience the joy of growing. To find an RHS garden near you, or to buy tickets for the shows, visit the RHS website.

May is our doorway to summer.

Bringing the garden indoors

As the days grow warmer, throw open the back door and take your morning coffee outdoors; it is a small luxury to look forward to.

Our dining room leads to the back garden, and its large sliding glass doors give perfect views outside. Linking indoors and outdoors creates a particular cosiness: the garden becomes another room, and my indoor colour palette very much reflects the garden. Today's interiors often blur the boundary between the two.

We want our homes to give us the calm and serenity we feel when we step outside or take a country walk, and bringing nature indoors does exactly that. Fresh flowers and foliage from the garden, arranged around the home, are the simplest way to achieve it.

Bare twigs dressed with delicate fairy lights brighten small corners of the home. Bringing the natural world inside, in however small a way, makes a home more beautiful and brings us closer to nature.

The lighter, warmer evenings are made for easy, delicious food and refreshing cocktails with friends in the garden, and with this month's bank holidays there is plenty of time to enjoy these simple pleasures.

Enjoy May, and the sunny summer days to come.

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