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Plant lily bulbs in a potIf your garden suffers from gaps during the summer, why not use lilies to add a temporary, but timely, burst of colour? Plant bulbs into pots in spring and you can simply drop them - pot and all - into displays on the patio

display is lovely, but there is a problem I need to address. The soil along the drive is thin and inclined to get compacted, and some clumps are rather congested. A few bulbs are producing leaf and no flower, a phenomenon known as  'blindness'. But, if I

It won’t be long before daffodils, tulips, fragrant hyacinths and a host of other colourful flowers signal the arrival of spring, but if we want summer and autumn to provide similar displays we have to start planning and planting now

Plant spring bedding, including wallflowers and forget-me-nots, among tulipsLift, divide and replant congested clumps of perennialsNet holly berries to protect them from hungry birds if you want them for Christmas arrangementsPlant lily bulbs, including

If deadheaded regularly, pretty bellis daisies will keep flowering for weeks, offering a colourful display through spring and into summer. The ivy in this pot recipe can be planted in the garden when the display is past its best.February - April

If grown in the right spot, tulipscan flower for years on end, adding a splash of dramatic colour to gardens every spring. But they can be difficult to grow in heavy soil or partial shade, only thriving in a light, free-draining medium in full sun

.More spring container displaysCreate a spring display of brunnera, foamflower and dicentra.Save space by layering spring bulbs in a pot.Plant a spring display of daisies and ivy.

The sun is shining and the daffodils are out. Nothing spells the start of spring like a mass of golden, trumpet-shaped narcissi.Among the flowering daffodils are some that are only producing foliage. These ‘blind’ daffodils, either side

the gardenPlant tulip bulbs in groups to make drifts of spring colourAfter first frosts, lift and store dahlia tubers Plant evergreen shrubs and conifersFlowersPick ripe apples and pearsFinish harvesting marrows, squashes, onions and potatoesSow broad beans

nitrogen-fixing nodules feed the bulbs, but even if they don't the pots look a lot nicer in autumn with a covering of leaves. I then let them grow right through spring – they help hide the bulb’s foliage as it dies down, and of course, the flowers are a