Bank holidays always seem a good time to garden – a time to catch up on deadheading, pruning, harvesting, sowing and generally ‘getting on top of things’.

So, with this in mind I’ve been doing just that.

At 3.30pm I stopped for a break and saw that the Norfolk & Suffolk Dahlia Society had their annual show today and would you believe it, it just so happened to be in my local village hall. This year I’ve grown dahlias en-masse for the first time. I love them but feel I need to know more about these fashionable beasts.

I ummed and ahhed about going, I’m not entirely sure why but it was hot, I’d just been moving some cattle and I was covered in hay dust.

But, I love a flower show so off I went.

Well, I’m delighted I did.

I thought I’d gain an insight into different varieties of dahlia and I did – that, and so much more (I know I won’t be able to resist the annual membership at £3 for much longer).

There were miniature ones, medium sized ones and ones bigger than my head.

In this day and age people seem a little preoccupied with the variety Café au Lait, but spare a thought for Hillcrest Candy,  Polventon Kristobel, Barbarry D’Amour, Rose Jupiter, the massive Bryn Terfel, Curson George, Alf Ramsey, Normandie Wedding Day and the gigantic Aggie White.

Not only are there a range of sizes there are a further 10 classifications of form – single flowered, anemone flowered, collerette, water lily, pompon, decorative, cactus, semi-cactus, ball and miscellaneous.

I was in my element.

Everyone was incredibly friendly and I’d timed my visit just right. At the end of the show the dahlias are given away for donations to the society.

I came away with a mountain of dahlias of all sorts of shapes and sizes, together with renewed passion for these spectacular plants.

The kitchen is now full of flowers and I keep visiting them to admire their brightness and joyfulness.

They’re easy to grow but they just need a little bit of time and love.

It turns out you can never have too many dahlias…