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as blooms had faded, I would have missed out on the delightful swelling seed heads.The variety 'Back in Black' is a deep blue agapanthus with striking black stalks, and each seed pod develops a dark mottling, too. They look wonderful in my autumn displays

eye at a local plant centre, its spoon-shaped petals infused with steely blue crying out for closer inspection. Three plants were soon at home in a large terracotta pot, positioned in a hot spot on my patio. Since June they've bloomed non

sunshine, skies of Carribean blue and a fading grandeur to the woodlands, I have been looking at individual trees around the place.We have a belt of trees that run up one side of our garden (around the septic tank if you're interested). They are basically

, and stored them in those blue mushroom boxes in the garage. And now some of them are blooming well sprouting and I'm not sure where I've gone wrong! A bit of research (namely Gavin Keir's website) and I think it's partly due to the lack of drying out due

and hedges so we have a large population of birds. Blue tits are very beneficial for the gardener as they feed their young on caterpillars.Talking of which, it is very easy to unwittingly overwinter caterpillars in glasshouses and polytunnels. Only the other

with coloured labels: red denotes plants destined for Chelsea, blue for Hampton Court and yellow for Art in Action. This way we can monitor how the plants are doing, and which ones need pushing or holding back for the dates of each show.

of year is known by country folk as 'the winter of the blackthorn'. A heavy crop of sloes, the dark blue round fruit, is said to foretell a harsh winter. This year, it foretold a harsh spring. I'm still hoping for a warm spell within the next 15 days

).All these aspects considered, if I was only allowed to grow one hosta then I would have to choose Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'. It has big glaucous blue leaves and a chandelier of white flowers, looks magnificent in a pot and wonderful in a damp corner amongst ferns

to be admired, and I'd grow it for its leaves alone. But at this time of year it adds a new dimension by producing erupting clouds of dainty forget-me-not blue flowers. Gorgeous! My brunnera grows alongside ferns and foxgloves, and my oriental hellebore

's not really enough.However, I draw enormous comfort from the fact that just next to us is a staggering bluebell wood. The shrill green young beech leaves, the sun ducking through the branches and a shimmering sheet of blue: it really doesn't get much better