Peter Dowdall reveals his star plant picks of the summer 

In summer, when the garden is running at full tilt, what we need is  some architectural perennials to provide pizzazz, flair and presence

The upright perennials lupins come in an array of colours. File pictures 

I am really looking forward to this summer and hoping that the Irish weather behaves itself and plays ball this year. After all the rain we have experienced over not just the last while but for the last 18 months, I hope we are in for a scorcher. As I look forward to my 52nd summer, I am still hopeful that the Irish climate will follow some logic and make up now for all the rain.

What will happen, only time will tell but now is certainly the time to prepare for those beautiful, long days in the garden and time to focus on some of the star performers in the summer borders.