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, their foliage is perfect; there's no hint of the telltale raised orange-brown pustules on the undersides of the leaves. Hollyhock rust is caused by the insidious fungus Puccinia malvacearum and only affects hollyhocks and mallows. The fungus overwinters

spathes. Some of the latest introductions carry deep, almost black spathes, while those in bright or burnt orange look really striking.

to time. There's a flash of yellow around April when a brimstone flitters quickly by. Then I'll see the occasional holly blue or orange tip, plus some cabbage white butterflies. Even they've been visiting less frequently.The wet weather must have played

repeated each year!First on my list of 'revolutions' is the vow to improve my meagre success with carrots. Only the purple varieties seem to work for me, so I'll be sticking with them in 2009; I think I'll skip a year before trying orange cultivars again

-in-law's garden, where it overhangs her pond — it was love at first sight. Who could resist the delightful, slightly curled leaves? Especially when, come the autumn, they transform into an extraordinarily flamboyant conflagration of red and orange. Parrotias

over bright orange, the abdomen is jet black with clear white tail. No other British bumble has this coloration.I try and explain all this to the boy, but he eyes them all with suspicion now.

, to custard coloured daisies (Layia platyglossa), candy pink campion, mallows, coreopsis, gypsophila, corncockles and grinning sunflowers. My favourite is probably the little Linaria reticulata (you can see its little magenta and orange flowers in this picture

of apple trees, a greenhouse (that sadly got stolen), a wonderful bright yellow tub trug, an orange tree, and an incredibly sharp gardening knife. But I've also received some horrors, one of which was so bad I took it back to the shop and exchanged

fragrance must be essential to the survival of these plants, attracting pollinating insects, for instance.One of most fragrant garden plants is the evergreen shrub, choisya, the Mexican orange blossom. Choisya 'Aztec Pearl' is one of my favourites, with a

that the Latin name for watercress is Nasturtium officinale.So, what other edible flowers add colour to my summer salads? Well, pot marigold or calendula petals look lovely. Orange varieties self-seed on my veg plot, and one or two flowers provide sufficient