IT'S that exciting time in the gardening calendar when all attention is focused on the activities taking place in the grounds of the Royal London Hospital in Chelsea.

Right now there will be thousands of frantic designers, landscapers, artists, big buck backers, students and volunteers all wiping sweat from their brows as they work to get their gardens finished and up to scratch on time (and within budget).

Large containers will be crossing the continents with mature plant specimens. Forest loads of timber will be used to make pergolas, fences, buildings and deckings. Soil will be brought in and taken away.

Last year the Chelsea Flower Show marked the beginning of a rekindling of a much softer approach to gardening. The cottage style of planting was much more in evidence, and the starker, minimalist and perhaps more structural elements had begun to disappear.

I for one was pleased and relieved to see this swing back towards the natural and traditional forms of garden design. If nothing else, it allows for much cheaper and easier garden creation. .

I have had a preview of some of the gardens that will be featuring at Chelsea this year. The one that I have my eye on is the Bonterra Organic Wine garden. This has been designed by the Californian winery's garden and landscape manager, Kate Frey. She is dedicated to promoting organic farming by creating an uplifting and educational experience for every visitor to the vineyard. The garden at Chelsea will show how farming methods can be enhanced by the use of mixed flora.

The SoHo (small office, home office) garden is another one that interests me. It aims to create an office space in the garden. It is sponsored by Help the Aged, and designed by Mark Gregory of Landmark Design & Build.

Mark suggests that if you are wanting to take your place of work out into the garden there are a few questions which first need to be answered. Will you be trying to work next to a busy road or within a football kick of the children playing next door? Will your space get enough natural light, or will there be too much glare on paperwork or PC screens?

He suggests surrounding yourself with soothing smells, colours and sounds. Gentle waterfalls, fragrant planting and billowing perennial borders will do the trick. And try to get something of interest growing throughout the year. That way, as you are searching for inspiration, you can look up and clear your mind by focusing on something of natural beauty.

I love the idea of just being able to wander down to the bottom of the garden to do your work.

However, I know that the thought alone of housing office equipment in the shed would tempt every burglar within a 20-mile radius into the boundaries of my garden. Better take laptop computer down to the garden shed when the mood takes you. The added bonus is that you can move around the garden, and write from a multitude of locations within it.

JOBS TO DO THIS WEEK

Mulch the borders

With the wet weather having arrived, the soil is suitably damp for the application of a layer of mulch. This can be in the form of bark chippings, gravel, leaf mulch, pebbles, ground glass, shells etc... just make sure it forms a light-preventing layer on the soil.

Implement a regular mowing routine

The warm and wet conditions are causing the lawn to sprout. Try mowing the grass at a medium setting at least once a week. If the grass is damp, a coating of vegetable oil on the blades (make sure the machine is switched off!!) stops them clogging up.

Spray aphids

Green, black and white fly are making their presences known. Spray them off as soon as they are spotted.