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Dealing with cuckoo spit on fuchsiasHow to deadhead flowersPruning plantsBrowse a selection of fuchsiasChoose plants with purple flowers

In a large pot, mix together a rich purple osteospermum with zesty yellow and orange bidens, lantana, portulaca and California poppies for the perfect summer cocktail.springJune - August 40 minutesOsteospermum 'Malindi'Lantana camaraCalifornia poppy

to flower.My hellebores are out now too, and most are looking good. Unfortunately some are showing signs of hellebore leaf spot disease. The characteristic purple-black blotches are spreading from the foliage to some of the flowers. The best I can do is pick

.Last, but certainly not least, we're going to town on zinnias. They make great cut flowers that you can really admire up close. 'Art Deco' is a mix of red, pink, lavender and purple with cactus-like flowers. Z. 'Giant Wine Bouquet' has burgundy flowers. We're also

're tall and straight, with green curved leaves and beautiful globes of purple flowers. Being a member of the allium family, leek flowers are a magnet for honeybees and bumblebees, which seem to spend hours moving from one globe to another.The flowers

Purple and yellow always work well together, and the combination is particularly striking in this pairing of cowslip and anemone. We've used a grey Moroccan trough, but a wooden or terracotta planter would look just a good.February - March

It's now May, and we're just 12 days away from building our display at the Chelsea Flower Show. We've had a few bouts of sunshine in the last week, during which I could literally feel the plants growing.The new Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus 'Black

', with creamy white flowers fading to purple.T. 'Colour Spectacle', with pale yellow petals with broad red streaks.T. 'Happy Family', with purple petals and white edges.T. 'Orange Bouquet', with orange and red petals.T. 'Toronto', with pinkish-red flowers

with roast vegetables, especially tomatoes. Use purple shiso (or perilla) in stir-fries, add to salads or - in a similar way to vine leaves - stuff with pine nuts and chive flowers. Place the pot in partial shade - avoid full sun, as the leafy herbs

of blossom to choose from that it all gets a bit confusing. But my top five at the moment are: Prunus 'Taihaku' - its white flowers have centres the colour of jam stains Prunus cerasifera 'Nigra' - its purple leaves are interesting Prunus 'Cheal's Weeping