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I can't be the only one looking for foolproof plants to brighten the patio during summer, but it's always nice to try something a little different too.Traditional summer bedding has its place, but it does demand regular attention.Daily watering

We’ve finished clearing out all the summer containers and started replanting them with winter bedding. I really love potting up plants, especially in late-autumn and winter when any dash of colour is welcome in the garden.A trip to our local market

Many years ago when I was a landscaper in London, I had a regular client who had a tiny garden in Wandsworth. It was literally one flower bed, a small shed and a wall topped by a chain link fence.The reason we had to keep returning was because

Group) 'Beauty of Livermere' (pictured, above). This variety is similar to the wild P. orientale var. bracteatum, a plant of sun-baked Turkish slopes. Foliage appears early in the year, making neat rosettes. It is overtaken by spring plnts

when I pass, and thankfully don't need the regular doses that most summer bedding plants demand. Temporary displays like this are fun to create, and can be moved around at a moment's notice to ring the changes. There's nothing permanent here

I have always found plants with big leaves fascinating. I love hearing raindrops pattering on leaf canopies whilst pushing through an overgrown path, surrounded by plants that are bigger than me. It is probably a deep-rooted jungle instinct. I have

Shade can be a nightmare if your heart is set on growing summer bedding, fruit and veg, or Mediterranean plants, which need direct sun to flourish. But there are plenty of beautiful plants which thrive in shady conditions.Many people imagine

on the foliage of trees can make the glass or plastic sticky and dirty, so it lets in less light. Tree roots can also upset the foundations and make planting directly into the beds inside tricky.Good lightAs you’ll be visiting your greenhouse or polytunnel

.Cover with fleeceGrow carrots in narrow beds surrounded with 60cm-high barriers of polythene, or fine-meshed netting – this is another good way to stop the female flies finding your crop.Make fly barriersGrow carrots alongside strong-smelling companion plants

Make cape reeds the new stars of your borderEnjoy the architectural beauty of these elegant plants that have only recently reached us from the fynbos of South Africa.Restios are a rush-like group of architectural plants that are set to join grasses