Search - Articles

The time has probably come to say something a little contentious: there are some plants that are so dreadful that they should never have been invented. (I use the word 'invented' advisedly as the culprits are almost always those plants that have

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

.When the icicles melted, the water landed on my hellebores and sarcococca and then froze again, coating the plants in thick layers of ice. Now the temperatures have increased and everything has defrosted, it's good to see that neither the hellebores nor

I watered, it rained within 24 hours.The downpours we've had in Hampshire over the last few days have made a serious difference to the plants. The veg plots are suddenly flourishing and some of my miserable-looking lettuce seedlings have finally

similar to grey mould, but I haven't been able to verify this.Most of mine will be planted in large patio pots, but I'll keep the pots in a sheltered position once planted to avoid the compost in pots getting too cold or waterlogged. Sheltered

. The baby Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride' are now pretty sturdy, and I've got a nice full tray of Verbena rigida 'Intensity' (from the High Value Perennials seed pack). Both now have 'true' leaves – the ones that look like those on the adult plant

, make sure the compost around the seedling is moist by standing pots in trays of water for an hour before planting. This will help roots establish quickly.Use a garden line to keep rows straight when planting. Take out a hole large enough to accommodate

terracotta pot that was normally planted with bedding. Filled with loam-based John Innes compost my Nerium oleander took up residence in June, and was soon in flower. Now, I wouldn't describe its display as spectacular, but my shrub produced luxuriant stems

. For the same price as your vase of red roses that within a week are only fit for the compost heap, you could instead grow orchids on your windowsill, which carry a succession of flowers for three months.If that wasn't enough, it will even flower again about six

 and John Innes No.3 loam-based compost. All this weight provides extra stability to prevent the trees catching the wind and toppling over. These acers are no more demanding than any plants in pots, and just need regular watering and feeding.The foliage