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Monty Don demonstrates how to plant up and age a stone container to create a formal garden display.springPlanting suggestions for a formal containerDark foliage display with scabiousClassic pelargonium and nemesia containerFormal dressing

evening and when I got out of the car the first thing I noticed was scent. A wild romantic perfume floating through the heavy warm air. Although the planting in my garden is predominantly herbaceous, I will always have room for the begetter

.Most companion plants are strongly scented and confuse pests looking for their host plant. Others attract beneficial insects, such as ladybirds and lacewings, which prey on aphids.The garlic chive, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial with white star

harsh sun. Organic gardeners usually refer to companion plants as those deterring pests in some way. Tagetes planted alongside tomatoes and crops is a good example, where the strong pungent scent of the tagetes foliage helps mask the scent of the crop

scented blooms from May-September.LavenderThe stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, is one of the most important native wildlife plants in the UK. It supports more than 40 species of insect, including larvae of the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies

30cm (12in) or more.This aquatic perennial should be divided annually to maintain the striking green and white horizontal variegation of its foliage. When dividing only replant the most vigorous sections. Plant with 5cm (2in) of water above the crown

, scented, white-flowered daffs with dark red, jagged centres. I planted them in a large terracotta pot, next to a few pots of 'Minnow' - a dwarf, creamy-flowered variety with contrasting yellow centres.Both varieties are quite late flowering in April

them in summer with a feed containing potash and magnesium, for better blooming. Prevent mildew developing on the foliage by watering regularly, directing your hose or watering can at the base of the plants.Feed and mulchSupport old-fashioned shrub

This is one of the oldest species tulips in cultivation. Combine it with with foliage plants to show off its spidery blooms. Flowers in May. Height 40cm.Tulipa acuminataWith bright yellow blooms, T. altaica is perfect grown on its own in pots. Flowers in April

snail' but I just cannot learn to 'love a forsythia'.Please dig them out and plant something else. If you must have a yellow shrub flowering now, then try Chimonanthus praecox; it bears pale, lemon meringue-yellow flowers and a scent that reminds one