Search - Articles

Plant daffodil bulbs in pots and borders Check roses for suckers and cut off any you find, just below groundTrim conifer hedges to neaten their appearance and control heightEmpty pots of faded early summer bedding, adding old plants to the compost

Cut late-summer-flowering clematis right down to soil levelDivide congested clumps of perennials such as asters, campanulas, rudbeckias and chrysanthemums after floweringPlant bare-rooted rosesDig up and compost exhausted summer beddingPlant out

Clear faded growth of golden hops and annual climbers from pergolas and trellisPlant bare-root roses in well-prepared soilTransplant shrubs and conifers that have outgrown their positionCut down chrysanthemums to soil level after floweringMake leaf

'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

as to defoliate small trees. I have enough trouble keeping the rose sawfly caterpillars at bay, so I've moved Mrs vapourer and her brood to the end of the garden. Perhaps they can attack the bramble that grows over the fence from next door and threatens to engulf

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

are then infected, they too eventually turn yellow and drop. If not dealt with, the plant will weaken.Rose black spot is very similar and can be dealt with in the same way.Leaves are marked with purple or brownish-black spots, then turn yellow and fall. Smaller

for free foraging, a vegetable garden, an olive grove (a little optimistic) and even a hot house full of tropical fruit. For the thirsty there is a hop garden, a cider orchard and a vineyard.3. Roses: none of the other RHS Shows have quite as many roses

Bulk up the compost heap with spent flowerheads and stems from around the garden Improve drainage on compacted lawns by spiking the ground with a fork or aeratorCut everlasting flowers and ornamental grasses for dryingPut netting across ponds

Gradually lower the cutting height of your mower as grass growth increasesSpray roses showing signs of diseases such as blackspot, rust or powdery mildewApply a combined weed, feed and moss killer to your lawn if you think it needs itTop up water