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A bed of dwarf bedding dahlias I grew from seed three years ago has grown back and bloomed again better than ever this summer. Talk about great value! The more dahlias I grow from seed the more I appreciate them. The original seed variety was Mignon

being far hardier.Another trick when growing them in the garden is to plant deeply – perhaps 20cm or more down – so that they’ll get through winter without being frozen. You can often do the same with dahlias and gladioli, perhaps with just a mulch over

For many years now I've enjoyed watching a Canary Island date palm grow and flourish in a garden by the traffic lights near the end of my road. Stopping at the red light, I've been able to watch this Mediterranean palm grow taller and bushier.As we

the end of the 2012 growing season. The reason I’m flustered is that there’s so much still to do, and the most urgent job is to bring any tender plants that are still outside under cover before they’re damaged.I have a lovely selection of tender succulents

' as a general catch-all term for those plants that can be grown from dormant bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes. Among my regular favourites are begonias, dahlias, canna lilies and eucomis, the pineapple flower. Then there's galtonia, the summer hyacinth

't quite cover them.Canes are OK, but again they don't look natural, especially when new. You also need to be a whizz with the green string, linking them together to support plants, tying in stems as they grow ever taller. And then you have to be careful

close second only to roses, according to a recent survey of florists. And as with any 'easy-to-grow' plant, it divides gardeners in the same way that gladioli, dahlias and many others do.Horticultural snobs may give them a wide berth as they search out

for my attention, and soon ending up with a new owner. Then, having satisfied my desire for lilies, I'd visit another garden centre where other temptations — dahlias, begonias, gladioli — would prove irresistible.Pictorial packs are designed