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Banana plants need plenty of wrapping in winter to keep them warm. Without protection, the cold weather will decimate them and they'll have to grow from scratch in spring. A little extra effort will ensure thriving bananas that bring tropical cheer to your garden.Banana plantShar...

Less is definitely more when it comes to this spectacular container project. The spiky dasylirion makes a huge impact on its own - other plants would just be a distraction. Rather like a natural fibre optic light, its bristling leaves are dramatically set off when the fibrous tip...

In the heat of summer, this showy pot will bring a taste of the tropics to your garden. The huge, red-tinged banana leaves flounce above a frothy skirt of blue-grey parrot's beak and honey bush, and fiery begonias. April - JuneJune - September30 minutesLarge, deep pot, at least ...

Make cape reeds the new stars of your borderEnjoy the architectural beauty of these elegant plants that have only recently reached us from the fynbos of South Africa.Restios are a rush-like group of architectural plants that are set to join grasses and bamboos as the new stars of...

Follow Joe Swift's video guide to planting, training and pruning passion flowers.summerMore about growing climbing plantsPlanting a clematis, with advice from Sarah RavenCreating a rustic trellisUsing plant supports

Learn how to give frost-tender plants the best chance of surviving the winter, by following Rachel de Thame's video advice, with tips on watering and where to store plants.October-NovemberMore on protecting plants over winterHow to protect tender plants for the winterHow to prote...

Agapanthus are easy to grow from seed and you may get flowering plants in as little as two years.Collect seed when the seedhead is becoming brown and the capsules are starting to burst. If the weather is turning cold you can collect seed prematurely and store the whole seedhead i...

Protect you plants from the cold weather and wrap half-hardy bananas, palms, cannas and ginger lilies in fleece and straw if they grow in sheltered positions. Alternatively lift the plants, pot or crate them up and bring into a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory to plant outdo...

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 of the most dramatic types wit...

during winter). Boosting the exotic display is a pineapple lily and a sedum, which come into their own when adorned with late-summer blooms.Carol Klein gives useful advice on planting cannas, while Rachel and Monty choose canna varieties for the Long