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hispanica): a plant that has been muscling its way into our gardens and woodlands. Bluebells are protected and it is illegal to dig them up from the wild although there are various nurseries who grow them for sale. They are best planted around this time

's these long evening spent leisurely flicking through seed and plant catalogues that are costing me dearly. After a first run-through, the list of 'must have' plants is far too long, so I have to go through again in more detail. This is meant to be a ruthless

've had! I can't remember anything quite like this before. Can you?Let's put to one side the travel problems and disappointments of missed mail-order deliveries. We all have a story to tell, I'm sure.Forced to work from home last week when all the overhead

Spring is in the air. Birds are tweeting. Comfortable nests are being flung together. Plants are sprouting. Frogs are croaking lasciviously. Daffodils are flowering away with nothing less than gusto and the gloom of February fades into distant

It won’t be long before daffodils, tulips, fragrant hyacinths and a host of other colourful flowers signal the arrival of spring, but if we want summer and autumn to provide similar displays we have to start planning and planting now

, which can be planted out in March or April for a quick-growing crop. Sets are available from garden centres or by mail order, and although the range of varieties is not quite as wide as from seed, it's is an easy, reliable method of growing.Whether you

it isn't.As a bit of a bulb 'nut', I've grown many, many bulbous plants but never tigridia. So, when another photo of tigridia arrived last year I made a note to order and grow some myself. I'll admit that results haven't been that successful, possibly

and planting.I've already fished out my seed tin, and have various piles of seeds to sow in month order in the front room. I can’t wait for that steamy, greenhouse scent that will permeate the flat once seed sowing is fully underway. The front room

, and to inspire a new generation of gardeners.And when it comes to inspiration, I'm not convinced only offering plants in A-Z order really does it for many. I'd love to feel as inspired walking into a garden centre as I do when entering a beautiful garden

these plants flowering perfectly happily halfway up someone's house, but completely flowerless at or near eye-level.In order to keep the flowers where you can enjoy them, it's necessary to prune them back each winter. I do mine at the same time as I prune