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of slate but you could use grit, pebbles, crushed shells or glass chippings. If frost is forecast in May, cover the plants with horticultural fleece at night.AdamKeep this container in the sunniest position possible and it may even reward you with flowers

Thanks to our warmer climate, most of us can now enjoy traditionally tropical plants in our summer gardens. Canna 'Tropicanna' is surprisingly tough for such a lush-looking plant, and can survive outdoors all year round (with a little protection during winter). Boosting the exoti...

Learn how to pinch out and pot on sweet peas with Sarah Raven's step-by-step video guide.springMore advice on growing flowersGrowing sweet peas from seedGrowing lupinsHow to create a cut flower patchPlanting out cerinthes

Foliage plays a central role in this window box, which means it looks good even before the citrus-coloured tulips and primroses burst into bloom in spring, adding a zesty splash of colour to your window ledge. September - OctoberFebruary - March20 minutesTulip bulbs x4Primrose p...

Save money by collecting and storing seed of your favourite hardy annuals, to sow next year. Saving seed from pot marigold, Calendula officinalis, couldn't be easier. Ensure you allow the seedheads to fully develop on the plant before collecting them (they will turn brown and pap...

Rust fungus is the curse of hollyhocks. The undersides of the leaves are often peppered with bright yellow or orange-red rust spots with corresponding beige-yellow splodges on the upper surface. Eventually, it affects the whole plant, with leaves

I recently spent a few days in Barcelona. The orange trees growing there were laden with fruit and looked stunning in the February sunshine. I loved seeing them growing outside in the streets, though admit to having felt a pang of jealousy on behalf

of that fabulous scent: the philadelphus, or mock orange.There are a number of different varieties, all deciduous with white flowers and unremarkable foliage. In the first garden I had that actually possessed any soil (the first two were just concrete yards) I

at the honeysuckle flowers. But it took me a few days to realize the bumblebees were different. There were several species, but my eye was caught by the well-groomed buff orange ones. In the UK most of the all-orange bumbles, also sometimes called carder bees

with low-growing stems can be propagated by layering, such as honeysuckle, mock orange (Philadelphus), rhododendron, magnolia and forsythiaDig up and divide clumps of winter aconitesPlant new shrubs and hardy perennialsCut away old foliage on Christmas