French always set more easily than runners. I grow both in pots in the greenhouse to keep away from the abundant slugs in my damp and shaded garden, but whereas I have a good crop from the climbing french, I have to move the runners outside once they've started flowering.

Bumblebees were late arriving this year, but now we have lots of them. Having been on a bumblebee course last year, I've been busily identifying them - 8 species so far, the so-called "big six" plus the tree bumblebee and a cuckoo bumblebee.

But hoverfly abundance has been well down.