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Blue bulbsBlue is one of my favourite colours in the garden. Every year, I eagerly scour catalogues and flower-show exhibits for new varieties of blue-flowering bulbs. Plan ahead so you can enjoy a sea of blue in February, before the daffodils

Whether you’re looking for a bright bedding display, flowers for cutting or reliable border plants, it’s hard to beat the variety offered by dahlias. Dahlias come in many sizes, so there's one for every border, and small forms can also be grown

Follow Monty Don's video advice on pruning shrub roses, including techniques that will keep fungal infection and viruses at bay, while encouraging flowering stems.springMore advice on growing rosesPlanting a rosePlanting a rambling rose against a

After the intense cold of winter, the bright and cheerful flowers of alpines and rock garden plants introduce much-needed colour into our gardens. There is a huge range to choose from and, being used to extreme conditions, they're extremely hardy

Find out how to encourage the best sweet pea crop, by following Sarah Raven's video guide, with tips on pot selection, pinching out and which plants to choose.OctoberMore advice on growing sweet peasHow to use plant supportsMonty's advice on sowing sweet peasHow to pot on sweet p...

Learn how to grow sweet pea plants from seed with Monty Don's step-by-step video advice.springMore on growing flowers from seedPotting on sweet peasGrowing lupinsPlanting out cerinthesGrowing dahlias from seed

Sweet peas are the classic annual climber and look just as lovely in pots as they do in a border. 'Spencer Mix' has large flowers and long stems, good for cutting, but 'Cupani' and 'Painted Lady' are particularly good as their short stems give good

staking than other varieties, which tend to have dense, heavy heads of petals.Cactus dahlias are perfect for providing extra colour to herbaceous borders, as they have such a long flowering season. They also come in a rangeof heights, so can be planted

Sown now in the greenhouse, dahlia seeds will produce young plants ready to plant outdoors in late May to flower this year. Seed companies sell a range of quick-growing bedding strains that are suitable for growing this way. You can also use

Watch Sarah Raven's video demonstration of how to plant allium bulbs in the dry garden at Berryfields, with advice on the ideal location, soil condition, and planting depth.autumnMore advice on growing alliumsHow to collect allium seedsDiscover plants suited to dry soilChoose all...