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I love daffodils. To get the best from these wonderful flowers, I plant up a dozen plastic aquatic baskets with spring bulbs in autumn, choosing varieties that flower at different times. When spring arrives, I pop one basket after another

spring bulbs. I've no idea where they're all going to go.Last year's spring bulb display went a bit wrong. In March my garden was a muddy building site and the daffodils I grew in pots looked a bit out of place. When I planted my containers of alliums

europaea) are the most delicious colour when young and feel soft and slightly damp and newborn. Sadly they quickly become leathery and the home of many millions of aphids which then proceed to drip honeydew onto anything parked beneath them.Spring is here

. Also, I recommend warming areas of your plot with cloches or polythene for a few days before sowing - it makes an amazing difference to germination.Most of the plants in my garden will benefit from a good feed during spring. Not just young plants

After such a long and hard winter I’m more eager than ever to see the first apple blossom open. Development seems slower this year, but it's amazing how a few days of warm weather brings everything on. By the end of April I’m hoping to be enjoying blossom like that shown in the p...

. The baby Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride' are now pretty sturdy, and I've got a nice full tray of Verbena rigida 'Intensity' (from the High Value Perennials seed pack). Both now have 'true' leaves – the ones that look like those on the adult plant

As spring finally springs and the soil warms up, we should address a very common hosta problem. You may not, I suppose, be aware that there is any sort of problem, but that may be because you are either very lucky, or that you have never grown them

It's rose pruning time again. I could debate the merits of autumn pruning over spring, but I've always believed spring really is the best time to tackle pruning.Rose pruning isn't a job to hurry. You need time to ponder, step back and deliberate

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

Spring is in the air. Birds are tweeting. Comfortable nests are being flung together. Plants are sprouting. Frogs are croaking lasciviously. Daffodils are flowering away with nothing less than gusto and the gloom of February fades into distant