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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

So many of my favourite plants come from South Africa, a place that certainly feeds my appetite for bulbs. Moving on from the summer delights of agapanthus, gladioli, eucomis, galtonia, crocosmia and a host of others, I enter autumn with pots

 and John Innes No.3 loam-based compost. All this weight provides extra stability to prevent the trees catching the wind and toppling over. These acers are no more demanding than any plants in pots, and just need regular watering and feeding.The foliage

Although it's been a mixed summer weather-wise, I've still given my collection of succulent plants a 'holiday' outside, lining them up along a path to create a simple display. These tender succulents - aeonium, sedum and echeveria - spend autumn

there are mixtures, as I'm often told these sell best. They're not for me. Their ‘kaleidoscope’ effect is a little brash and lacking in – how can I put this? -  style. I want to choose the colours and theme my pots to create more impact. Planting several pots

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

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

of compost I knew they would be weed-free (and still are after 15 years), and would provide perfect planting conditions.Lastly comes a camellia growing in a large terracotta pot, again filled with ericaceous compost. Despite using the perfect compost I still

For the past few weeks I've been enjoying the wonderful sight of my weeping wisteria coming into flower. I've grown it in a large terracotta pot, and as the compact branch framework has developed over the years it's produced more and more blooms

with compost, then plant a layer of early flowering dwarf bulbs like crocus, grape hyacinths or dwarf narcissus on top. In that way you'll get two (or more) flower displays from each pot. Roll on spring!