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This week at the Chelsea Flower Show there are thousands of gardeners admiring out of season daffodil blooms in the show gardens and floral exhibits.In order to get their daffodils blooming at this time of year, growers force the bulbs to grow using

I'm not a great one for growing flowers on my plot. Maybe I shy away from raising flowering plants on the allotment because I grow so many in my main job (as head gardener at The Bath Priory Hotel). I've grown marigolds as companion plants

.AdamMany of these plants can be raised from seed. Sow them into fibre pots in spring and you can transplant them into the container without disturbing their roots.Take cuttings of the osteospermum in summer and overwinter them indoors in case you lose plants during a cold

the plant.After the azalea has stopped flowering the campanulas will keep going well into summer - they'll overwinter happily in their container. Cut them back if they begin to look messy.AdamAzaleas hate being dry, so water them even when they

rainforest, are for sale in our supermarkets.Of course, many of them end up in good homes. But as they're so often given as gifts in place of cut flowers, do they too end up on the compost heap after they've bloomed?A friend of mine was once a florist, and I

Speedwell (Veronica spp) is an annual weed that spreads through lawns and borders, and has attractive tiny blue flowers. It spreads by seed in spring and autumn to form plants with strong tap roots. Speedwell appears in lawns as individual plants

Sow quick salads in guttering Keep a regular supply of salad leaves by sowing seeds in lengths of plastic guttering, cut to the length of your veg beds, and filled with good compost. When the seeds germinate, you can grow them on for 2-4 weeks

diameterPencil, wood saw, rulerFebruary - October2 hoursUsing a pencil, divide and cut the plank into the following sized pieces: 40cm x 15cm (back), 23cm x 20cm (roof) and 23cm x 15cm (front). Finally cut a piece 20cm x 34cm and cut it diagonally to create

.Serious potting has started on the farm. This is two weeks earlier than last year as the light has been so good that our wintered cuttings are already putting on new growth.Once the plants are potted they are then covered with horticultural fleece. This protects

There are so few plants that do well in my small, shady garden, but those that do thrive deserve a medal. This week, honesty is taking centre stage, with its tall spires of brilliant white flowers, towering above more subtle spring blooms.I love