Your guide to Perfect Plants

The ground in winter can be saturated after many days and weeks of rain and most scientists predict that the extreme weather we tend to experience now in the UK will become ‘normal’. Call it climate change or just prolonged periods of ‘wet’, followed by extended times of ‘dry’, the...

At times of celebration with a loved one - maybe a birthday or Valentine’s Day, it's a great excuse to have fun thinking outside of the box. What you probably don’t want to buy for someone special is something that can be found everywhere. Not everyone is a lover of...

As the garden prepares to slowly wake from its winter slumber, this is a great time to think about the coming growing season and prepare for all the excitement that is just around the corner. But just for the moment, depending on the weather, the best gift you can provide...

Fill it with flowers! There’s no shortage of blooms at this time of year, and with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show looming (commencing 21 May), focus is firmly on flowers in the garden during this wonderful season. But there are many people who look wistfully from the side-lines, wondering why...

Groundcover needn't be boring Heuchera are the eye-candy of the low-level planting storey and these stunners have enjoyed a gradual rise in the popularity stakes over the last few years. There are now very few gardens that haven’t managed to find room for this colourful foliage plant. It’s not difficult to see...

How could you not be excited by April and May in the garden... when the earth beneath your feet is erupting into a growing frenzy? The garden is springing into glorious life! But as the spring-flowering bulbs give us their best burst of colour, there's something even better following behind. What...

10 favourite plants! So difficult to select just a few, but we can reveal which plants have been the most popular during the past year or so. Giving a gift that grows is a great way to keep a friendship fresh!. Even if the recipient doesn't share your love of...

Ornamental grasses, why are they the swaying stars of the autumn border Every season brings its own garden wonders and, apart from the awe-inspiring colour of leaves, ornamental grasses are the stars of early autumn. Grass seed heads and flower heads look beautiful for months. They are more durable than most...

  No plant can survive in dry shade, right? Wrong. A shady place presents an exciting challenge if you want to have some fun. There are always areas of a garden that pose a problem, even to keen gardeners. The most common situation in which it's difficult to find things...

A hot summer isn't easy for plants. They can suffer badly from heat exhaustion. It takes only a little imagination to hear them calling for water as they reach out with wilting foliage fingers. Many have collapsed before the kind person with the watering can notices. ‍ The annual flowers...

Do climbing plants damage vertical walls and fences? As the RHS Chelsea Flower Show gradually fades into memory, most garden lovers are experiencing an emotional high. The boost of enthusiasm generated by what might be the greatest flower show on earth will remain long after the gardens have been dismantled...

Roses say so many things, I love you, thank you, sorry... and more. It seems that the scent, appearance, colour and style has almost a universal appeal. Especially in May and June when this magnificent shrub excels like no other. The rose is the national flower of England. But why...