Discover how to stage an end of season plant performance in your garden in the form of evergreens, foliage, berries, and seed heads with designer and plant specialist Carol Smith. When flowers fade, leaves drop and early morning dew covers the ground, it’s as if plants know the vibrant, colourful main summer performance is drawing to its close; the last …

Discover how to create winter excitement and colour in your garden with designer and plant specialist Carol Smith. Winter gardens can be beautiful, but during these gloomy grey months many are desperately short of the wow factor. The cold weather and these days too much of the wet stuff leaves plants dead and dreary; there is little to entice us …

Bulbs are easy to grow and care for and are amongst the most rewarding plants we can nurture, so over the next few weeks it’s time to plant for spring and with it the chance to be more adventurous. Planting spring bulbs in a much-underrated joy. In its simplest form it is the perfect way to guarantee colour for spring …

Heucheras have been one of the boom plants in demand over the recent lockdown with record demand with online sales. New Forest nursery and specialists Heucheraholics share their expertise on this easy to grow plant. Twenty years ago heucheras (also known as Coral Bells) were grown for their wispy flowers which grow on long stalks held high above their foliage. …

Spring bulbs will be in garden centres later this month and it’s the chance to plant and plan in September for sensational colour next year. Planting spring bulbs is one way of coming to terms with the end of summer. September is the best month to plant these bulbs, to make the most of the dry, warm days forecast when …

Ten different types of plants including aubrieta and berberis are now at risk as they fail to find a home in National Plant Collections. Plant lovers throughout the West Country have been urged to help to save some spectacular UK’s garden plants, which it seems, are not being cared for properly. Horticultural charity Plant Heritage is calling for anyone passionate …

A common sight in almost all our gardens, the daisy in its many forms and colours Is a delightful sign that spring has arrived and summer is on its way. Ask any four-year-old to draw a flower, and chances are you’ll get a daisy. The daisy has an innocence and simplicity that makes it an immediate favourite of young and …

Roses are one of the essential garden plants: easy to grow, long-lived, perfect for cut flowers, with sensational scents, full of romance and history. There are so many colours and types to choose from and they can go in any spot in your garden. First things first Roses have for centuries been an essential part of any garden in this …

Bringing the garden indoors by being creative with indoor plants can lift our mood especially through the winter months. It is quite usual for gardeners to miss the long days of summer which may seem a distant memory. With the change of seasons our moods often follow suit but there is a way to combat this problem – houseplants. They …

Somerset gardener Marie Salmon has this autumn refused to tidy up her garden and seems to have learned to appreciate decay. As the great Piet Oudolf once said “A plant is only worth growing if it looks good when it is dead”. I have taken heed of this in my Somerset garden, same county as Piet’s garden but in a …