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on the surface of the compost and cover with perlite, the white granular material that can be purchased at most garden centres. Then put the seed tray or module tray in a propagator or on a heated mat at 16°C. The seeds will germinate in about 20 days, depending

't have to worry about the attentions of cabbage white caterpillars. I still had to protect them from pigeons, though. It's a bit of a happy accident that I ended up growing red cabbages. I bought a few plants towards the end of last summer for no better

which will just be in flower, and some beautiful thymes and white flowering borage plants which are absolutely perfect.I get the distinct impression from the emails and telephone requests I've received from other exhibitors that they're having

).All these aspects considered, if I was only allowed to grow one hosta then I would have to choose Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'. It has big glaucous blue leaves and a chandelier of white flowers, looks magnificent in a pot and wonderful in a damp corner amongst ferns

we have the spectacular Tulipa 'Paul Scheerer', T. 'Jackpot' and a few T. 'White Triumphator'. Apart from that there is the lovely early flowering Geranium 'Bill Wallis' and a very pretty pink cow parsley (Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum') but it

-spring, covered in white flowers which, come the autumn, turn into deep red berries, or haws. They also make spectacular trees that reach about 5m in 10 years - although if left alone they can reach 18m. They're fantastically gnarly and twisted and every wild

business, but I remember pouring over old Kelways catalogues, crammed with colour plates of pristine fields with row upon row of pink, purple, white and red peonies. How I would love to have seen them. People must have travelled miles for a peony pilgrimage

long, gradually fading with age. 'Roma' adds a lovely pink to the display, but there are lots of other equally generous astrantias available in greens, whites and deep reds. Some even offer variegated foliage, but this isn't really to my taste

wings (upper and lower sides), the meadow brown has a single white spot, but the gatekeeper has two. You can't see them in the photo above, because the butterflies have adopted their 'secure' resting position, with front wings tucked behind

to do on the plot it's tricky to know where to start. At the moment I've got a bit of a routine: I do a quick whizz round, snapping the flower buds off my onions, harvesting courgettes and checking the brassicas for signs of cabbage white butterfly eggs