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Breathe deeply as you enter my sitting room this month and you’ll take in the powerful, almost intoxicating fragrance of paper-white narcissi.I planted the Narcissus papyraceus bulbs last autumn, in a glass bowl layered with gravel. All I've done

Do you know a tree called Parrotia persica? At this time of year it is a light among the gloom. Most trees are without leaves in winter and there is only so much satisfaction that you can get from a tracery of damp twigs. About now I start dreaming

to remember to do and deadhead about 75% and leave some of the hips, thereby getting the best of both worlds. These are quite big shrubs, which grow to approximately 1.5m height and spread; the foliage is glossy (slightly bronzed when young) and the plants

What an odd assortment of weather we've had this year. In just 12 months my garden has experienced heavy snow, a spring heatwave followed by a drab, damp summer, then a second heatwave in autumn. Some parts of the country have experienced drought

Pond plantsWater enhances any garden, and there are a wide range of aquatic plants that will thrive when submerged in a pond. We spoke to expert grower Linda Smith at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2009, who recommended 10 of the best plants for garden

A tree will add height, colour and architectural interest to a garden scheme and, if planted properly, should provide many years of enjoyment. In winter, bare-rooted plants become available - a cheaper alternative to ones in pots. Winter

leaving them out all winter as an experiment. Some will simply turn to mush when touched by frost, so I find them a home on a bright bedroom windowsill that remains frost free. One of my neighbours has several succulents planted out permanently in a bed

garden is really too small then plant them in somebody else's (if necessary under cover of darkness).Update: read James's follow-up blog on trees for small gardens, Trees for small gardens 2.

magnet for bumblebees.There are a few green manures to sow now, suitable for a range of soil types:1. Grazing rye (Secale cereale) improves soil structure. Sow from August to November and dig in the following spring.2. Winter field bean (Vicia faba

foraging on flowers in November, while - in the south of the UK - some buff-tailed bumblebee colonies will remain on the wing throughout winter.Six of the best nectar-rich plants for autumnA tall, delicate plant with a long flowering season, particularly