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surround my beds with timber edges so the soil surface can be raised by the action of digging and adding organic matter. These raised beds drain more quickly after heavy rain and keep plant roots above the water-saturated ground below. Raised beds also warm

(oh dear, I think I'm now showing my age). Most gardeners will hopefully have come across the popular hardy Nerine bowdenii, which can be naturalised outside in a suitable free-draining soil, or simply grown in pots, but N. crispa has far more delicate

to loving peonies. They have always been part of my gardening life. Our family garden in Guildford was on a slope near the Downs, on very thin free-draining soil over chalk. Peonies loved it; they didn't demand a thing from us and flourished in return

and get damaged. The nice thing about succulents is that any bits that do get broken off can usually be used as cuttings, rooting quickly in gritty, free-draining compost. Once established they can join the main display to extend the line

soil preparation is such an important part of gardening. It may sound like I'm a broken record repeating the advice “dig plenty of compost or manure into your soil”, but without this water-holding, sponge-like reserve, water just drains through soil

’ll be in good enough condition to replant next April.However, I’m going to risk leaving my dahlia tubers in the ground, as the site is quite free draining. Once their tops have been touched by frost and blackened (it won’t be long now), I’ll cut them off at soil