the enduring gardener

Himalayan blue poppy

I agree with Alina. Now that we're into May, albeit somewhat cold, I might be tempted to plant them out.

Help choosing climbers

If you live in a cottage or want a cottage garden feel then take a look at some of these climbers. Or maybe consider training a fruit tree up the wall like a pear.

the plants and flowers

You're right - you can do a lot with a balcony garden and you'll find sites set up specifically to accomodate them. 

idea's please

Hi Tomalli, you might find some more garden design ideas on here. There's plenty of time to be reading up on ideas given the bad weather.

garden dilema!

There's a comprehensive article on creating a cottage garden and the sorts of plants and shrubs to opt for here : cottage gardens. I hope that gives you some inspiration.

Talkback: Carol Klein: Life in a Cottage Garden

Talkback: Plant supports - upping the stakes

expecting different styles of garden design? Pictures will be better..

you can get some garden design ideas from some of the gardens we've visited over the years here. It's broken down into elements which should make it easy for you to focus on the particular parts of the garden. Hope you like them. 

Pound shop plants- any success stories?

As long as they look healthy when you buy them then there should be no issues. Since these shops are focussed solely on selling and not on caring for plants there life expectancy is not as good as you might see in specialist garden centres. 

Talkback: Flowering in time for Chelsea