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Monty Don shows how to plant the herbs, peppermint and thyme in pots, with advice on watering, drainage and when to prune.springMore advice on growing herbsPicking herbsRaising new mint plantsGrowing basil from seedPlanting herbs in a window box

The sweet-smelling irises should be in flower by late-winter if the weather is mild. Before then, you can enjoy the foliage combination of the needle-like iris, the filigree ivy and the crimped fern. If you plant up this container feature in autumn

'Helichrysum petiolare x2Parrot's beak, Lotus berthelotii x2Large, deep pot Multi-purpose compost, crocksCover the bottom of the container with crocks, then half-fill it with compost. Carefully ease the plants out of their pots.Make the blue potato bush the centrepiece

plastic plant pots.Fill the container two-thirds full with peat-free, multi-purpose compost. Break it up as you go to remove air pockets.Add the 'Tête-à-tête' narcissi to the back of the pot first, followed by the three primulas in a line along the front

-free compostBroken crockPlace a piece of broken crock over the hole in the base of the pot to maintain good drainage. Add peat-free compost until the container is about two-thirds full.Knock out each herb plant from its pot and arrange in the container.Once all

minutesAloe variegata x4Decorative slate mulchSquare terrazzo planterCrocksFree-draining compost made from equal parts of loam-based compost and horticultural gritCover the bottom of the planter with a layer of crocks.Fill the container two thirds

-garden style, floating like balloons above the feathery foliage of Cosmos 'Sensation' and its delicate, pink petals. Use a large container for this display, as this combination of plants reaches 1m in height. Prevent the planting scheme from looking too top

in early spring.Hyacinth bulbsLarge terracotta potHorticultural gritLoamCompostSharp sandOctober - November30 minutesFebruary - MarchSpread a good layer of horticultural grit in the bottom of your container to help the compost drain efficiently in wet

Used in gardening to refer to the technique of excluding light from the stem and/or leaves of plants, in order to reduce the green chlorophyll they contain. The technique may involve wrapping plants with paper collars (as for celery), earthing up

Take cuttings from pelargoniums and fuchsias Repot rooted cuttings into containers a size larger, to prevent them from becoming pot-boundCheck plants regularly for signs of pestsPinch out the tips of rooted cuttings to encourage bushy plants