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A wide variety of pots have graced my patio all summer, hosting a wide and varied range of plants from agapanthus and phormium to miscanthus, eucomis, pelargoniums, and an assortment of colourful bedding - to name but a few.I love growing things

Although flowers usually steal the headlines, think how bleak a garden would look without foliage. Leaves are a vital part of every garden. Consider the contrast between the lushness of summer and the bleakness of winter, when tender plants have

I just lift from the patio pot and stand them in a bright corner of the garden where they can continue their growing cycle.Of course, bulb baskets can also be used to fill gaps in borders, too. Just sink one into the soil for an instant display. What

I'm always looking for plants that make an impact - things that will grab the attention and put on a good show. Seasonal bedding and bulbs are always popular, but many shrubs also grow well in patio pots.Over the years I've tried all sorts, from

I can't be the only one looking for foolproof plants to brighten the patio during summer, but it's always nice to try something a little different too.Traditional summer bedding has its place, but it does demand regular attention.Daily watering

Much of my gardening time in September is spent planning for spring colour. I'm not wishing the year away - I love autumn in all its fading glory - but now is the time to buy spring-flowering bulbs for planting over the next couple of months

will send the leaves tumbling to the ground.Slow-growing Japanese maples, particularly those with dissected leaves, make perfect small trees for patio pots. I've grown acers in pots on my patio for about six years now, using large, heavy terracotta pots

I've just picked, and eaten, my first home-grown tomato of the year – and it was delicious. It's actually a brand new outdoor bush variety, and yet to be named, but on my sunny patio it has even beaten the greenhouse crops to produce the first ripe

and stand it on the patio instead.I remember the Big Freeze of 1963 very well - enjoying deep snow as a young boy - and do recall finding dead pigeons in our garden that must have frozen to death! Quite how any birds survive outside during such cold weather

.So, what's left? Thankfully, I was tempted to buy a couple of hardy evergreen ferns from Fernatix while at Gardeners' World Live a few years ago and now, planted in tall terracotta pots, they take pride of place on my patio during winter.Ferns have rotten