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confection that really should have been immediately composted as soon as the first flower showed. The raspberry rippled pink and white collar would be almost acceptable as camouflage for plankton but when teamed with the urine yellow centre it ventures

There are some plants which everyone agrees smell bad. The titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) and the dragon arum (Dracunculus vulgaris), for example, both smell like rotting corpses when in flower, to attract pollinating flies. Happily, not all

've listed some of my favourite fruits below.Plants grow up to 1.8m and bear sweet berries from July. Best suited to large, sheltered plots.Good soft fruit varietiesBlackcurrant 'Boskoop Giant'Grows well in shade and on heavy soil. It forms red berries

of my favourite plants, one that is very much in evidence at this time of year (there were lots at the Chelsea Flower Show last week): the comparatively humble geum. Most of the garden varieties can trace their pedigrees back to either the Chilean Geum

: as the name suggests, the green stripey bark is as slinky smooth as Leslie Phillips in his prime. It also has greeny white flowers in the spring and dramatic yellow autumn colour. There are a number of other acers with the same snakey bark, including A

Alexander-Sinclair share their top 10 plants for small gardens, which offer year-round interest and colour.The round-headed leek bears round flower-heads that open green and turn a deep red with maturity. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil

ways. The oldest variety I grow, and the earliest to flower, is 'St Ewe', which I planted directly into my border soil. Now I wouldn't claim my clay soil is ideal for camellias, which enjoy a lime-free and water-retentive soil, but this one has

, entwined together: a hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and a blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). This is a rather wonderful accident of nature, as the 'tree' flowers twice. The blackthorn begins in about March and the hawthorn takes over in May. In the autumn

LavenderA mild antidepressant, a restorative for the nervous system and a mild sedative, lemon balm can be enjoyed as a tea.Lemon balmWhen dried, the bright-yellow flowers can be made into a calming tea, which helps combat insomnia.Californian poppy

. Cryptanthus bivittatus is small and will fit almost anywhere, including in a bottle garden or terrarium. Buy plants that are free from damage to the leaves and, if possible, those whose flowers are still emerging, as they’ll last longer indoors.Choosing a