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. If you have light, free-draining soil, you can start planting potatoes outside. I have very heavy clay soil in my garden, which is still a bit too wet for potatoes, so I’m putting it off for a little longer.I’ll sow some hardy annual flower seeds outside

their absolute best.When we moved into our house we planted several beautiful liquidambar trees. More than twelve years later, some are virtually stately. Liquidambar 'Lane Roberts' is the one to choose for the deepest red-purple foliage. We bought one, plus a

Agapanthus make fantastic patio plants and look particularly good grown in terracotta pots. Given a sunny spot and free-draining compost, they'll produce spectacular flowers in June, July or August, depending on the variety.Although agapanthus

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

oxygen levels in the water so frogs and other wildlife can still breathe when the pond is frozen over. But there are so many plants to choose from, and - as Horticulture Week pointed out - to date many aquatic plant suppliers are still selling invasive

counties too. It's an example of how temperature influences so many plants in our gardens, often putting our traditional gardening seasons slightly out of sync when we get an unexpected warm spell.Of course, when it comes to camellias, all varieties

of blossom to choose from that it all gets a bit confusing. But my top five at the moment are: Prunus 'Taihaku' - its white flowers have centres the colour of jam stains Prunus cerasifera 'Nigra' - its purple leaves are interesting Prunus 'Cheal's Weeping

, gritty compost. They take up to three months to germinate at about 15°C and should be left for a few years before transplanting and growing on.PropagationMore plants to grow for late-summer colourChoose flowers for late-summer colourCombine asters, sedums

Some of the most spectacular dahlias are cactus and semi-cactus types. With their spiky petals, they can trace their lineage back to a single surviving plant grown from a crate of tubers imported into The Netherlands in 1872. Cactus dahlias are some

Spring is in the air. Birds are tweeting. Comfortable nests are being flung together. Plants are sprouting. Frogs are croaking lasciviously. Daffodils are flowering away with nothing less than gusto and the gloom of February fades into distant