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're rarely troubled by pests and diseases and will self-seed readily all over the garden.Also popular is the Lenten rose hybrid, Helleborus x hybridus, whose flowers range in colour from immaculate white to virtually black, with nearly every shade of green

The sweet pea is a British favourite; not quite as popular as the rose but definitely up there in the top five. However, while there are numerous songs and poems about roses, the poets and wandering minstrels have been a bit sluggish when it comes

dimension to a garden; it's one thing looking out onto the garden from a window, but quite another walking through it and exposing all your senses to the plants around you.When I blogged about fragrant plants in May, I asked readers about their favourite

could upset the fine balance between local plants and the wildlife they support (which will also have evolved with their local environment).It's not just wildlife that benefits from locally grown plants. Many gardens will now be looking a little bare

that will hold in the moisture.More advice on growing shrubsSarah Raven's video guide to planting a rose in a tubGrow camellias in a containerHow to prune spring-flowering shrubs

Two years, I felt the need to grow a local, native plant in my garden. I gathered rosehips from a field rose at the edge of a nearby canal, soaked them in water and sowed the seed in coarse compost.The pots sat in a corner of my patio, doing nothing

For two years, I have been trying to grow climbing plants to cover the walls of my garden. I've planted honeysuckle, passion flower, jasmine, numerous clematis and a revolting rose I found in the street. Some died, others developed mildew, while

AstilbesAstrantiasBegoniasCrocosmiasEuphorbiasFernsFuchsiasGrassesHardy geraniumsHelleboresHydrangeasJapanese anemonesLady's mantleLavendersLilium henryiPelargoniumsPenstemonsRosesSedums20 top slug-beatersDon't overfeed young plants in spring, as this only encourages soft growth, which slugs love to eat.Top tips for foiling

Thank heavens for winter-flowering plants. These hardy specimens often have tiny, inconsequential blooms, but they more than make up for them with their powerful, sweet fragrance. I rarely notice the flowers of Sarcococca hookeriana, but I’m always

in the garden, although they could have been cut for indoor display.Another variety to consider is Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Starlight Rose' (pictured left), a beautiful bicolour variety that has resistance to leaf spot and mildew disease, that can sometimes