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. If you have light, free-draining soil, you can start planting potatoes outside. I have very heavy clay soil in my garden, which is still a bit too wet for potatoes, so I’m putting it off for a little longer.I’ll sow some hardy annual flower seeds outside

potager – a walk-through area with beds planted prettily with vegetables instead of flowers.But if you have a conventional veg patch or allotment, with crops grown at traditional wide spacings, try intercropping. The idea of this is to sow or plant quick

Shaping topiary is a fun and inexpensive way to create year-round interest in the garden. These plant sculptures contrast dramatically with flowers in summer, and bring structure, style and form to winter gardens.If you haven't tried topiary before

what to plant but, judging by your many comments, I am not alone.One of the (many) advantages of being a member of the Royal Horticultural Society is that any member can get free advice on plant and disease identification. The RHS advisory service

and planting.I've already fished out my seed tin, and have various piles of seeds to sow in month order in the front room. I can’t wait for that steamy, greenhouse scent that will permeate the flat once seed sowing is fully underway. The front room

wigwam. New shoots caught onto the supports, twining their way to the top, and as summer progressed a succession of trumpet-shaped flowers opened on each. Although they weren't as floriferous as some bedding plants they certainly were different.Of course

the best flowers and are very useful in greenhouses where they catch whitefly and other greenhouse pests.Nepenthes produce very fetching striped cups which dangle from the plant like Sherlock Holmes' pipe. The necks of the cups are brightly coloured

, while the same species in Cornwall will have adapted to salty air and a longer growing season. What's more, these important genetic differences can determine when the plants come into leaf, flower and fruit, so the same species imported from elsewhere

Over the years I've planted dozens of fruit trees, and while some have been productive, carrying delicious crops, others have been very disappointing. So, why the disappointment? It's usually because I've chosen a new variety without having tasted

a chance to release seeds. A single plant can produce thousands of seeds, all with potential to grow into new, seed-producing plants. Groundsel and hairy bitter cress, start flowering while still tiny, so be vigilant and remove them as they appear