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the dahlia was persona non grata in our gardens and was banished to the vegetable garden, where it was grown purely as a cut flower or for competitions. Dahlias were they garden equivalent of battery hens. Now they range happily through our borders bringing

Watch Sarah Raven as she plants lupins and shares her tips on soil acidity and drainage.More advice on growing flowersCreating a cutting patch video project.Planting out cerinthes.Caring for peonies.Growing dahlias from seed.

sun. It reaches 1.5m high.Eryngium giganteumHappy in woodland conditions, the yellow- or orange-flowered Welsh poppies are annuals that don't mind shade, making them perfect to weave under trees and taller shrubs.Meconopsis cambricaA cottage garden

foliage. Height/spread 1.2m x 90cm.Corsican hellebore, Helleborus argutifoliusDespite its name, it's not that likely to flower for Christmas - more usually seen flowering from late-winter. Flowers are white, though sometimes flushed pink, and flat

, this spreading plant features clumps of strappy leaves alongside sprays of trumpet flowers in shades of red, yellow and orange.My top plants for extending colourCrocosmiaThis plant is ideal for the no-fuss gardener. The large, long-lasting flowers in pinks

Learn how to grow dahlias for cut flowers, in Rachel de Thame's video demonstration. Rachel recommends varieties and shares tips on soil preparation, planting, feeding and staking young plants.early summerMore advice on growing dahliasLift and store

, 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

Sharp sandKnife or secateursRooting hormone (optional)September 20 minutesSelect healthy, squat and fat shoots. Remove them from the parent plant by cutting immediately above a bud.Remove flower buds and lower leaves from the bottom half of each cutting

You can easily propagate oriental poppies by taking root cuttings. They make perfect candidates for this propagation method as it exploits the plant's propensity to reproduce itself from every scrap of root left behind when plants are moved. Once

the end section as you will need to use it later.Make a sloping roof by measuring 3cm down from the top front corner of each side of the box and drawing a straight line from there to the top back corner. Cut along each line, using a handsaw.Cut off two 1.5