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gardener needs, but as soon as those big, bold blooms open it's bound to rain and shatter the petals. In the blink of an eye it's all over and I've got to wait another year for them to flower again.My problem is that I love plants, and have to admit

glorious variety called 'Antoinette', picture above. Not only does each bulb produce stems carrying three to six flowers, but the flowers change colour from pale creamy yellow to rich pale pink as they fade. This was quite unexpected, as the photo

long, gradually fading with age. 'Roma' adds a lovely pink to the display, but there are lots of other equally generous astrantias available in greens, whites and deep reds. Some even offer variegated foliage, but this isn't really to my taste

, but it's their striking flowers most people are after. Their blooms are really spathes; bright trumpets at the tip of a stem, with a graceful twist and pointed tip unlike the flowers of anything else you're likely to grow.It's surprising that some

, while ScotiaLass chose Skimmia 'Rubella', honeysuckle, philadelphus and the old cottage garden pink 'Mrs Sinkins'.Lili went for spring-flowering viburnum ("the smell is exquisite"), while Diane recommended jasmine. Others favoured lilies, geum, nicotiana

Chrysanthemum 'Bright Eyes', boasting golden discs with a black centre, perfect for cut flowers. I love cosmos, and Johnsons's new 'Peppermint Rock' produces white flowers with pink picotee edges on tall stems. Glorious.That beautiful striped squash in Dobies

wigwam. New shoots caught onto the supports, twining their way to the top, and as summer progressed a succession of trumpet-shaped flowers opened on each. Although they weren't as floriferous as some bedding plants they certainly were different.Of course

the tiny hole.Delving my hand deeply through the gap I can grasp thick pink stems, removing them easily with a sharp tug. I think the variety is either 'Stockbridge Arrow' or 'Early Champagne', but can't remember which.But please don't think there's only