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, and therefore a must for every garden.Designing your wildlife gardenWhen planting a nectar border or any selection of flowers to attract insects, think first of what's best for them and second, of what you want to look at. The two are not remotely exclusive

flowering times:10 best varietiesIf planted in a sheltered, south-facing spot, 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' will be in flower by Christmas. While most daffodils in bloom at this time of year are usually small, this variety has large, windmill-style flowers

and miscanthus.Planting partnersGrow smaller varieties in patio pots and plant medium and tall varieties among herbaceous perennials in mixed borders. Improve the soil before planting, with home-made compost or well-rotted manure. Grow them in full sun

Late-summer nectarAs some insects are still out foraging in late-summer, it's a good idea to provide food for them with nectar-rich, late-flowering plants.Plants for beesIn late-summer, many plants have finished flowering, but bees, butterflies

into the top of the container on my patio, so as one fades another takes its place.By planting bulbs in baskets instead of directly in the pot, I avoid locking up a lovely container with a single display, and prolong the show of beautiful spring bulbs.The trick

gone and deciduous plants have lost their leaves.Some foliage plants form the centrepieces to displays, like the brilliant coleus in one of my patio pots (pictured, above). It's one of the 'Kong' series, I think, and, having started off as quite a small

Fill gaps in your summer planting displays with brightly-coloured lilies for a temporary, but timely, burst of colour. Plant lily bulbs into pots then simply drop them, pot and all, into arrangements on the patio, or even in your borders. Lily

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

Two years, I felt the need to grow a local, native plant in my garden. I gathered rosehips from a field rose at the edge of a nearby canal, soaked them in water and sowed the seed in coarse compost.The pots sat in a corner of my patio, doing nothing

.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