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of plants to the limit, and we'll have to wait until spring to see whether or not some have succumbed to the cold and died while others have shrugged it off. Last winter I manoeuvred a very large pot of oleander from the patio back into the greenhouse

are available from mail order fruit suppliers for immediate potting. Kept on greenhouse staging, they quickly grow during spring. It’s important to be vigilant for signs of greenfly or red spider mite, and to treat affected plants immediately. Warm greenhouse

through to late-spring under cover, whether in the greenhouse or on a windowsill. All of them appreciate the extra light outside in the summer garden. For stability, all are potted into terracotta pots, as plants in plastic ones blow over far too easily

of soil conditioning compost or manure costs at the garden centre this spring?

More gardeners choose pansies and violas as their favourite bedding plant than any other flower.These brightly coloured flowers with their cheerful faces brave the very worst of our weather to put on displays during winter and spring, and voting

, while ScotiaLass chose Skimmia 'Rubella', honeysuckle, philadelphus and the old cottage garden pink 'Mrs Sinkins'.Lili went for spring-flowering viburnum ("the smell is exquisite"), while Diane recommended jasmine. Others favoured lilies, geum, nicotiana

an incredibly dry spring in my part of the East Midlands, with hardly a drop of rain for months. Farmers and gardeners are getting desperate for a good deluge, and I can openly make that plea now the long holiday weekends are over.The other thing we must all do

the base from early spring, unfurling beautifully. The only other thing I've noticed with new growth in my pots is that it can look very pale, which I put down to lack of feed. So pay attention, and add liquid feed to a watering every couple of weeks

in A-Z beds.Others have come down on my side, like the one garden centre owner, who is quoted as saying: "We agree with Adam Pasco - the majority of garden centres are uninspiring places to visit".I hadn't realised my comments would stir-up a hornets

’re dead, but just that their tops will have been knocked back. Hopefully roots in fairly dry compost, and insulated from cold, will survive and start growing next spring when conditions warm-up.My colleague Lucy on Gardeners' World magazine looked very fed