Do you have any famous Facebook gardening friends such as Cleve West, Anne Wareham, Marianne Majerus, Noel Kingsbury, Sarah Canet or yours truly, Matthew Appleby?

Does the NFU’s use of the term “spring months” when referring to plant sales at B&Q offend you? Do my shorts offend you?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/6029729/The-price-is-right-free-ant-in-every-bite.html

2. Was at Mr Fothergill’s the other day. They have taken over the Homebase contract from Suttons, including own-brand. Cecile Cuzenic is taking over as MD at Suttons from Alex Grenfell. The real Mr Fothergill, Jeff Fothergill, had lunch at my table (actually I had lunch at his table). He now does one day a month “to rattle cages” and has a team of five in charge, including his son.

3. At Mr Fothergill’s I noticed how badly dressed garden writers are. Time to expose them.

#Bob Flowerdew was wearing a black polo neck, overalls, a plait, wellies and llama lips.

#Marc Rosenberg was wearing a brown Army surplus shirt

#George Bullivant was wearing a John Collier linen jacket

#I was wearing comedy surf shorts

#Peter Seabrook had a “gardener’s” flowery tie on (prob a present)

#Peter Dawson was wearing an anorak to lunch

#Mike Wyatt had a liveried pilot’s shirt on

#Jean Vernon had blue plastic overshoes on

#Steve Bradley was wearing a cord jacket teamed with green wellies

#Good thing Martyn Cox didn’t show

4. I was at the British Plant Fair the other day. HTA’s Andrew Maxted told me more about next year’s National Plant Show. More in Horticulture Week 21 August. Bumped into Sakata’s Ian Riggs. Also Mark Moir, ex Wyevale, now Newent Plant Centre. Heard talk of crooks ordering plants from some exhibitors and then doing a runner-seems to be getting more prevalent. Do credit checks is the answer.

5. GardenBanter.co.uk-I joined the other day.

6. londongardeners.ning.com. Also joined.

7. I’m doing magazine reviews for thinkinggardens.co.uk. They will be very fair. Lots of restructuring under review across BBC Worldwide I hear.

8. Off to Guernsey next month for the opening of the polo-style Le Friquet Blue Diamond garden centre. Also going to Southport Flower show to meet Diarmuid Gavin and Roddy Llewellyn, and Christopher Biggins. And to Wyevale (Garden Centre Group) Syon Park for celebration of long-serving staff. Also judging British pot plant competition and Garden Retail awards with Chris Day, Doug Stewart, Marc Rosenberg, Graham Clarke, Steve Bradley, John Connel, Eve Tigwell, Val Bradley,Leslie Kossoff.

9. People who say they are gardeners when they make all their money from writing annoy me.

10. Duty mental:

I have read your article from the telegraph titled "Are koi carp the devil's fish?" and I think it was interesting but way off.

I am an owner of Koi for some years and am a member of the British Koi Keeping Society, I wont bore you with technical information about Koi but will simply say that there is a huge difference in keeping a pond and keeping a Koi.

I am the owner of www.koikeepers.co.uk please feel free to look in sometime and then your understand these are not devil's fish but are gods living jewels.

I also write alot of articles on shows around the country and was also on the BBC4 documentary about Koi in Japan, if you want a true insight into these amazing Koi feel free to ask.

Kind regards

Graham McCartney