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fruits of the Skimmia japonica subsp. reevesiana add a splash of colour that will last for months. September - NovemberNovember - February20 minutes1 dogwood, Cornus 'Winter Beauty'1 fern1 skimmia, Skimmia japonica subsp. reevesianaLarge, tall pot

for small gardens.Small gardens can only accommodate one or two trees, so it's important to make the right choice. A small tree can provide year-round interest, with spring blossom, summer fruits and autumn colour. Once the leaves have fallen from the tree

A shady garden might seem like a challenge, but in reality there's a huge range of plants suitable for growing in dark places. This container display is made using a boldselection of plants, combining different leaf forms, colours and textures. The Nandina domestica makes an an e...

Box always looks smart in a container but it's not the only shrub that can be clipped into shape. Myrtle is an excellent evergreen alternative. Faintly aromatic and with lovely white flowers in spring, it looks stunning from June to August, softened by a sea of blue campanula flo...

The warm weather has brought on a flurry of activity in gardens everywhere. At last, the longer daylight hours and a bit of full-strength April sunshine has pushed some life into my garden.Buds are fattening up well on many of the shrubs and trees in my garden, and some have burs...

Learn how to prepare hawthorn berries for planting by following Monty Don's step-by-step video guide. Monty gives tips on cleaning seeds, checking for viability, and the need for a chilling period.autumnMore advice on propagatingHow to grow plants from seeds and berriesBrowse a v...

Sarah Raven demonstrates how to plant a bare-root tree or shrub in a pot, before planting out in its permanent border position.October-November, February-MarchMore planting advicePlanting a bare-root rosePlanting a shrubPlanting a bare-root treePlanting a fig tree

Tiny sap-sucking scale insects. They are 1-6mm long, and their whitish, grey-brown shells are covered by protective, waxy scales. The insects don't cause too much damage unless they are present in huge numbers, but some excrete an unsightly, sticky, sugary substance (called honey...

Magnesium is needed to give leaves their green colour, so when there's a deficiency, yellow breaks through between the veins and around the leaf edges instead. Other colours, such as purple, brown or red, might also appear. Older leaves suffer first, and will die if they're not g...

This colourful display of bronze-coloured foliage, orange flowers and the red berries of the skimmia will warm up any cold or dull winter's day. You can vary the colours with other varieties of phormium, heuchera and pansy if you prefer, but all will look good into the spring. Se...