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was loafing around looking at things but, being a conscientious and dedicated fellow, I also kept an eye open for things that might interest you. Bamboo, for example.In this country we most commonly grow the Phyllostachys bamboos, especially Phyllostachys

that once planted, a bamboo will spread like a forest fire and forcibly colonise great chunks of garden. The truth is, as with all things in gardening, that if you choose the wrong plant for your situation then you are setting yourself up for tears

of them. Bare-root rose plantSpadeForkBamboo caneGranular fertiliser, such as chicken manureDecember - mid-March 20 minutes for each rose June - AugustDig out a hole in the soil to the depth of a garden spade and the same width. Put the soil to one side

When we moved into our house we planted daffodil bulbs by the sackful. The result each spring is phenomenal – our drive is flanked with gold. But at this time of year, when delivery vans and friends visit, the emerging daffodil shoots are often

and yellows.This restio has thick branched, bamboo-like stems that can grow to around 3m high and form huge clumps.Five favouritesCannamois virgataA towering specimen at 2m. The soft-green banded stems make it a perfect accent plant.Chondropetalum mucronatum

stems, Verbena bonariensis can be planted alongside a variety of different bananas, ginger lilies and bamboos.Design ideasSeeds can be sown directly in the ground in spring, or you can start them off under glass in late-winter, then pot them on to plant

container display of marginal plants Rachel de Thame's video project on planting up alpines in a potFern and birch containerCreate a bamboo and sedge display

of the plants without damaging them.An alternative method of support is required, so I'll resort to using bamboo plant supports. Long, thick canes are hammered down into the dry soil, and green string is wound round the clump from cane to cane to hold everything

at the back of my south-facing border, close to the wall where they'll be kept warm at night. As an experiment, one is planted in a bucket of semi-rotted compost, like a portable bean trench. All are staked with tall, strong bamboo canes. (They're only about 2

lessoniana (formerly Stipa arundinacea). From autumn through to spring, its foliage takes on spectacular red, orange and yellow tints, making it an essential grass for mixed borders.Amenanthele lessonianaPlants don't get much more architectural than