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Flowers are not the only attraction in winter gardens. Biennial honesty (Lunaria annua) is a good example of a plant that keeps delivering after its flowers have passed. Once the petals have fallen, enchanting disc-shaped seed-pods are formed

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

and were inspired by their grandmother’s remarkable collection.I tell you all this because you should really be thinking about ordering bare-root roses for planting out in the winter. If you're wondering what to plant, and you favour old-fashioned varieties

, while others have flooded. No wonder the plants are confused.In September, the RHS reported that the unseasonably warm weather was causing plants to flower later than usual, sometimes causing them to bloom again. This was down to climate change

. It appears in March and dies back in winter. It will partially disappear in very hot conditions, but will grow again when temperatures fall.Callitriche vernaMore about garden pondsFor more information on pond plants and water lilies visit the Waterside

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

We are getting very close to the end of the bare-root planting season. This is your last chance to plant trees and hedges, which have been dug out of the ground (as opposed to their cossetted cousins that are pot grown).This also means that it is a

, and - in extreme situations - lead to erosion. In the wild, plants quickly colonise exposed earth, protecting its structure and absorbing the nutrients that would otherwise be washed away. A green manure does the same thing; you just have control over what grows