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Bring life to a shady corner with this mix of shade-loving favourites. There are hundreds of fabulous hostas to choose from. At the back of the planter the green fern adds strong textural contrast. If you can't live without flowers, mix in some violets; they'll bloom all spring i...

Take your house plants plants outside this summer and use them to create dramatic patio containers. Here, we've teamed purple heart with silvery helichrysum and the trailing silver-grey foliage with the bright-orange flowers of parrot's beak

The perfect symmetry of these two formal Christmas planters makes a rather grand frame for your front door. The box cones and lead planters might be a little costly, but you'll have them for life once you've made the initial investment. The display is perfect for a smart, city fr...

Buying a camellia in flower lets you choose exactly the colour you want for your patio show-stopper. This single plant will give you delightful spring colour and its glossy, deep green foliage looks impressive all year round, even when its

Traditional door decorations are beautiful at Christmas time, although it's sometimes tricky to illuminate them. No more - with battery operated lights, you can add sparkle without trailing wires or a power source. This decoration couldn't be simpler or cheaper to create. Just us...

This box pyramid container display with red lights and a skirt of red pansies has all the colours of Christmas. Tendrils of the mattress vine weave in and out to create a wreath-like effect around the base.November - DecemberWinter30 minutesTopiary box pyramid, buxus sempervirens...

The sweet-smelling irises should be in flower by late-winter if the weather is mild. Before then, you can enjoy the foliage combination of the needle-like iris, the filigree ivy and the crimped fern. If you plant up this container feature in autumn

Thrift is found growing wild on sea cliffs and mountain sides. It is a tough little plant with short, tufty foliage. In this planting combination its bright pink, long-stemmed flowers provide a focal point from late-spring to summer. The low

to remember to do and deadhead about 75% and leave some of the hips, thereby getting the best of both worlds. These are quite big shrubs, which grow to approximately 1.5m height and spread; the foliage is glossy (slightly bronzed when young) and the plants

plants that are tough, hairy and bitter. They'll choose lettuce over chicory, Brussels sprouts over sprouting broccoli, and chrysanthemums over dandelions. Then there are plants with hairy, glossy or waxy leaves, which prevent their tongues scraping away