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If you yearn for the smell of the sea and the sight of grasses waving in the dunes, try planting up this coastal-themed container. From late-spring, the thrift brings splashes of colour with profuse pink, white or purple flowers, while the lilac

coloured flowers, usually with a brilliant boss of yellow stamens at the centre. While many bedding plants remain dwarf and compact cosmos grows taller, swaying above them on the breeze. Seeds are cheap, and these tender summer bedding plants are always

well in between paving. A pleasingly eccentric sort of thing. It does also have little yellow flowers, but they are not much to write home about.Oh, and the plant in the photograph at the top of the page (just so I can sneak in a sixth) is Calliandra

, foliage can quickly turn yellow and the yield will decline.A weekly liquid feed of a high-potash fertiliser like tomato feed will keep plants healthy and productive. Potash, or potassium, promotes flower and fruit production and ensures strong growth

There are many species of aphid, often with its own favourite host plants and particular life cycle. Greenfly and blackfly are the most familiar, but there are also yellow, red, orange and brown aphids. Aphids usually spend the summer on one plant

and sometimes stems. It takes its nutrition from the plant. This can weaken the plant and in severe cases reduce its flowering or productivity. Bad infestations may result in total loss of leaves and occasionally in death of the plant.Yellow patches on leaves

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

by the tendency of these little birds to strip yellow flowers, such as crocus, but so what? And don't forget that the adults not only eat weed seeds, but they also feed their young with insects and their larvae. All-in-all, sparrows are a delight and a help

.I had quite happily (and rather pompously I’m sorry to say) stated that these lovely insects were never a problem in the garden, because, although they are sap suckers, they prefer wild flowers to cultivated plants. Boy did I get that wrong. I was given

of demonstrations and activities going on. Bunny Guinness demonstrated her 'limbering-up-for-gardening' exercises; a poor, unfortunate soul attempted to convert a very stubborn Eric Robson to the art of flower arranging; Anne Swithinbank ran her house plant clinic