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of gritty, well-drained compost and keep in a cold greenhouse. Height 10cm.Tecophilaea cyanocrocusAs a species, Ipheion uniflorum can look a bit wishy-washy, but 'Wisley Blue' is very pretty. Its flowers are like big, upward-facing blue stars. Plant it among

it facing upwards. Cover with compost. Position somewhere cold and dark and check regularly for watering and pests. Once leaves appear in 10-12 weeks, bring the bulbs into the house.AdamTry forcing other spring bulbs, such as Narcissus 'Hugh Town', 'Itzim

changing from pink to blue...a clear illustration of the affect of pH on plants.My garden soil must have got more alkaline, possibly through watering with 'hard' tap water during hot weather last summer, hence the pink flowers this year. I'll need to change

about eryngiums in the ‘We love’ pages of the July 2011 edition. I would like, if I may, to expand on that a bit and introduce you to a few more.I love eryngiums: they are about the only plants that manage to be architectural, delicate, pretty

and a sprawling midnight-blue sage. A spectacular display.The Korean chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum rubellum) is as tough as old boots. They were originally bred in about 1930 and can take temperatures down to about -20ºC. They grow about a metre tall

iris). The flowers vary in colour from pale blue to deep violet, with yellow-spotted splashes down each petal.Some of them share names with the engines of Rev. Wilbert Awdry, so we have I. reticulata 'Edward' and I. reticulata 'Gordon' although, sadly

Jekka McVicar's 10 herbs for wildlifeJekka McVicar's organic herb garden achieved a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2009. We caught up with her at the show to discover her top 10 herbs for attracting wildlife.Herbs have been used for culinary

, mauves or white are held on strong, medium-tall wiry stems that don't need supporting.Japanese anemoneThis must-have plant has short stems of large bell-shaped flowers in purples, pinks and blues. It's drought tolerant and pretty hardy, although it

be propagated from runners, rather than divided. Cut off the runners if you don't want the clump to spread. A. californica should be planted 2.5cm (1in) beneath the water.Anemopsis californica'Berlin Tiger' bears eye-catching yellow flowers with brown markings

woad body paint terrorising Romans. The plant from which this comes is Isatis tinctoria and, oddly, it is not even faintly blue, but very yellow.I was reminded of this by a quick preview visit to Jekka McVicar's stand at this year's Chelsea Flower Show