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foliage. Height/spread 1.2m x 90cm.Corsican hellebore, Helleborus argutifoliusDespite its name, it's not that likely to flower for Christmas - more usually seen flowering from late-winter. Flowers are white, though sometimes flushed pink, and flat

They've been developing bit by bit for weeks, teasing me with glimpses of their pink petticoats. Finally last week, my first camellia of the year opened fully to show off its golden anthers, set off to perfection against the delicate frill of pink

. Then it was mostly about greenery, this time it is about flowers.Everything is beginning to explode into colour. Looking out of my office window there is a sea of pink as the Geranium psilostemon and Centranthus ruber are particularly rampant. There is a lone spike

Valerian, Centranthus ruber, is a pretty plant that produces bright pink-red, fragrant flowers from late-spring to late-summer, but it also produces masses of seed that germinates all over the garden. Butterflies love it, so if you want to encourage

've seen some really exciting varieties in commercial seed trials, like the flower, pictured above, that isn't yet available to buy. However, similar cosmos are on sale, such as the double and semi-double flowers on Cosmos 'Double Click'. It grows to 120cm

from pinks (Dianthus)Prune philadelphus after floweringFlowersWater beans and pick them regularlyTransplant brassica seedlings to their final positionsLift early potatoes and shallots as they matureFruit & vegTake cuttings of zonal and regal

of each crinkled leaf and the reddish pink below is stunning. Who needs flowers when you've got colour like this?Many of my patio pots are planted for season-long impact, and that often means foliage wins over flowers. I've pots of ornamental grasses like

of flower on Rosa 'Penelope'.Dahlia 'Hillcrest Royal': not a pink for the fainthearted. It is a full-bottomed swaggering pink that can really enliven a dowdy corner where the other plants are suffering from a bit of post-summer tristesse.Dahlia merckii

Collect and sow seed from foxglovesTake cuttings from pinks (Dianthus)Prune philadelphus after flowering, removing stems carrying old flowers. Cut out very weak stems and some of the oldest woodFeed dahlias with a liquid fertiliser and ensure plants

irises.I digress; my favourite roses at the moment are the Hybrid Musk roses. They were mostly bred by the Rev. Joseph Pemberton in the early 20th Century and make great shrubs and small climbers. They are soft coloured, like cowrie pink 'Penelope', clean