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There are fewer gardening jobs to keep you busy in January, so make the most of extra time and plant up a stylish container to decorate a terrace or doorstep. This elegant cube-shaped container is filled with the curly sedge, Carex buchananii, and Helleborus niger, the Christmas ...

Hostas reign supreme when it comes to striking foliage. All hostas look great in containers, but for something a little more unusual, try Hosta nigrescens. Its upright habit makes an eye-catching patio feature.May - JuneJune - August30 minutes Hosta nigrescensLarge, glazed contai...

The hardy winter-flowering varieties of pansy (Viola) are the best bet for winter and spring containers as they're rarely without blooms, even when other plants are shivering in the cold. The flowers look stunning set off against the golden foliage of the thyme and ivy. September...

Thrift is found growing wild on sea cliffs and mountain sides. It is a tough little plant with short, tufty foliage. In this planting combination its bright pink, long-stemmed flowers provide a focal point from late-spring to summer. The low-growing alpine phloxes are covered in ...

These sun-loving plants make a dazzling combination when planted together. The silverbush looks good even after its white, bell-shaped flowers have faded; meanwhile, the wallflower keeps churning out gorgeous spikes of mauve flowers for months on end. And no summer garden is comp...

Box always looks smart in a container but it's not the only shrub that can be clipped into shape. Myrtle is an excellent evergreen alternative. Faintly aromatic and with lovely white flowers in spring, it looks stunning from June to August, softened by a sea of blue campanula flo...

Sometimes the best things are the subtle or quiet things. A little rustle of wind through a tree, the distant knock-knocking of a thrush beating seven bells out of a snail or, in this case, a modest wildflower lurking among the rough grass beside a ditch.I always smile when I see...

Anemones make a beautiful indoor display, particularly at Christmas time. If you want to create a festive display of anemones, you'll need to 'force' the corms approximately 20 weeks ahead of the big occasion.In nature, spring bulbs and corms spend the winter underground in the c...

Take your house plants plants outside this summer and use them to create dramatic patio containers. Here, we've teamed purple heart with silvery helichrysum and the trailing silver-grey foliage with the bright-orange flowers of parrot's beak

Learn how to ensure that your buddleja achieves its full flowering potential, in Monty's spring pruning guide.springMore advice on pruningVideo advice on choosing secateurs.Learn effective pruning techniques.Video guide to pruning shrub roses.How to prune spring-flowering shrubs.