Trimming your bush, showing off your pinky winky (Hydrangea paniculate) or admiring a black man’s willie (Rhodochiton atrosangineus) takes on a whole new meaning on World Naked Gardening Day.

Let us hope that the beginning of May brings the same sunny moments as those we were fortunate enough to experience in April.

For on the first day of May, there is a strong possibility you may look out of your window and witness your neighbour butt naked in the garden engaged in their evergreens!  And before you can either reach for the binoculars or phone to report this out of character act, one which could be deemed as improper, remember if there was any day to strip off and tend to your tall bearded iris – no that’s not your neighbour still naked in addition to facial hair – that would just be weird!  It is the name of a plant! today is that day!

But for those normally green fingered nature lovers who adore the feeling the natural breeze circulating around their bits and bobs make sure you are not tip toeing through the tulips without your wellies, just in case next doors cat has left you a couple of poo parcels during the night! 

For these passionate planters, this is an occasion where they can now get down and dirty of course doing their best to avoid any prickly shrubs and brambles on route.  This you happy go lucky horticulturists is not a good day to be deadheading your roses too closely or pruning your monkey puzzle tree!

Getting naked whilst gardening is an activity more and more popular perhaps because of the feelings of total abandonment whilst being at one with nature?

However, caution must be adhered to as it is not hugely practical for tackling certain gardening tasks without a stitch of clothing on and can be a little risky with others in terms of positioning and I do not mean the plants.

Sowing and weeding will become a more thought through activity testing the memory as with no pockets available to place your secateurs, it can quickly become a game of hunt and seek to where you last left them!

If the weather is fine, it will not only be the sunblock needed to prevent the more delicate parts from burning (especially those not aired in public for a while, if ever!). 

Pollen can become a real problem in addition to any plants that may cause an allergic reaction! This will not affect everyone, but some individuals may acquire sensitivity to them, so the odds of not just hardening off (acclimatising plants) but swelling up are a risk to be considered!

Usually contamination can be avoided by covering up and wearing gloves, but as covering up is not an option, it would be wise to avoid your asparagus, bypass your bluebells,dodge your delphiniums and daffodils,fend off your foxgloves, leave your lily-of-the-valley, swerve your irises,lope from your laburnum, move away from your morning glory, step up pace past your passion flowers, not pussy foot with your peace lily and ward off your wisteria! 

Otherwise irritant sap may cause a burning sensation and sometimes blister or discolour the skin and no one would want that to happen to your family jewels (Gomphrocarpus physocarpus).

Power tools of any kind are also best avoided! Pause the pressure washer, end the electric leaf blower, stop the mower, and halt the hedge trimmer otherwise it may not be the only hedge you are shaving back!

Some safer gardening would be to rake, dig and weed or on a chilly day opt to putting your greenhouse in order. Foliage is a great cover up if you feel the odd flush of self-consciousness or pop into your tool shed for a tidy up!

You may uncover whilst be uncovered that actually gardening in the nude is something that you simply cannot wait another year to do and therefore the naked ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) in the garden will become all year round!