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prefer a plant or two that few others have.One that caught my eye when it was first introduced by Hillier's 14 years ago is Sophora 'Sun King'. A chance seedling turned up in Hillier Arboretum, growing into this new garden-worthy shrub, and what a stunner

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

into the winter. In the final stage of its life journey the seed-pod turns crispy brown, and crumbles away depositing thousands of seeds on the surrounding ground. It dies as elegantly as a poet in a garret. If you want them in your garden then scrounge some seed

like plums: never in the winter or during wet weather - for fear of silverleaf. Find them a sheltered place as they blossom quite early, so are a bit vulnerable to frosts. However, do not be scared off as there are lots of cultivars (some even from

, 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

Some of you might remember that Gardeners' World did a bit of filming in my garden last year. Anyway, I thought it would be briefly interesting to revisit the bit of planting I redid for their benefit to see how it is getting on a year or so later

, scented, white-flowered daffs with dark red, jagged centres. I planted them in a large terracotta pot, next to a few pots of 'Minnow' - a dwarf, creamy-flowered variety with contrasting yellow centres.Both varieties are quite late flowering in April

Why is it that we have no trouble expressing our dislikes, but when it comes to things we love, we're more reticent? Last year I conducted a poll in the office to see which plants were 'most hated' and blogged about the results. The response

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