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eye on the weather forecast, and a few very large sheets of white fleece close at hand. When frost is forecast, I go out the evening before to cover all the flowers I can reach. I wrap the fleece around branches, drape it over fan-trained fruits

What a surprise it is when the Japanese aralia bursts into bloom in December. Quite why anything should naturally be programmed to flower at this time of year always puzzles me, but perhaps this native of Japan and South Korea is just confused

This has been a better week despite the weather. The days are getting longer, the light levels are increasing, the sun has shone off and on and the seedlings are emerging.Our nasturtium seedlings will be beautiful flowering plants at the Chelsea

gardener needs, but as soon as those big, bold blooms open it's bound to rain and shatter the petals. In the blink of an eye it's all over and I've got to wait another year for them to flower again.My problem is that I love plants, and have to admit

and produce flower after flower until about early December. Perhaps we should be growing more of them. Good garden varieties include 'Clara Curtis' (pink), 'Emperor of China' (double pink) and 'Wedding Day' (white). You can read more about chrysanthemums here.

varieties available offering the usual purple flowers or a pure white form, and even one that produces attractive variegated foliage (not sure if this is quite to my taste).If budgets are currently tight it’s worth asking gardening friends whether they have

'Green Dream' - looks a bit like a hellebore but taller.Nipponanthemum nipponicum - this last I chose because the name amused me but also because it is really late flowering. It has leathery leaves and pretty white flowers in October.Sadly, things have

to the sweet pea.The best I can find is a cowboy song that was a hit in 1966 "Sweet pea / Apple of my eye /  Don't know when and I don't know why". Nice but not exactly horticulturally relevant.*Anyway, sweet peas are flowering now. Lathyrus odoratus

If you yearn for the smell of the sea and the sight of grasses waving in the dunes, try planting up this coastal-themed container. From late-spring, the thrift brings splashes of colour with profuse pink, white or purple flowers, while the lilac

is the top.Place the base of each section in a jar of water and stand it in a warm position. Top up the water regularly.Check for white nodules around the base of the stem, which will develop into long roots.Look for swellings emerging and pushing through