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grown 30-40cm tall, and I've missed the boat! Repotting and dividing them now would cause too much damage to the new leaves, so I'll have to do it next winter instead.Planting hostas in pots is a great way to produce stunning patio features. My Hosta

, and no master plan that will dictate the garden design for years to come. Plants in pots are mobile, and can be shifted around, enjoyed in a variety of locations where they can fill gaps, and at the end of summer move back under cover for winter

way into a crevice, clearly finding a cosy spot that provided protection through winter.After such a good summer for butterflies, their populations should have been boosted, so let’s hope for even more next summer.

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

the long wispy side shoots back to about 20cm during summer (July is perfect), and then cutting these stems back further to about 5cm during winter. Pruning twice a year in this way not only controls the mass of new growth that develops each year, but also

ventured outdoors - the perfect way to dispel the winter blues.Carol's series continues for the next five weeks, every Friday on BBC Two at 8.30pm.

down to about a foot from the ground during winter, and new shoots will start developing from late February to continue the cycle.Many great clematis have been bred in this country by Raymond Evison, who own Guernsey Clematis, but 'Arabella' comes from

, letting plants use up moisture until the compost has dried up and they die down. Then I leave the dormant tubers in their dry compost over winter, which I hope insulates them from cold.Memo to myself: Remember to start the gloriosa tubers into growth

I've just enjoyed a relaxing hour, cup of tea in one hand, binoculars in the other, gazing out of the window at my garden. Yes, some plants are showing signs of growth, there's still bloom on my winter-flowering viburnum, and the squirrels are still

.However, reading through seed catalogues last winter I discovered 'Emir', a brand new variety for 2008 from Mr Fothergill's, which had been bred specifically to be grown in our northern climate. A combination of tolerance to cold conditions and fast-maturing fruits