Your guide to Perfect Plants

Ready, steady, grow your own when the major growing season arrives each spring. When the danger of frost has passed, there's no time to waste down on the vegetable plot and the sooner you start growing, the faster your crops will be making their way to the kitchen table. Are...

  Thinking of planting a fruit tree? No doubt you'll consider an apple, a plum or a pear tree.But how about something more exotic?  Did you know that you can expect full sized fruit from even tiny, patio-sized fruit trees such as peach, nectarine and apricot?  It’s all about the...

April and May are the peak periods for tree blossom, during which time the majority of flowering, ornamental cherry trees will be covered in blousy blooms. But which is best? With so many to choose from, you might want to utilise the coveted Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Award of Garden...

The approach of winter is the very best time to turn your thoughts towards spring. In fact, there's no better season in which to plan your burst of garden joy. Everything you plant in autumn will be preparing to deliver something magical in the near future. During difficult times when...

What is it about palm trees that give so much pleasure? Is it because they evoke a hoiday mood? And are they hardy in the UK? Here is a selection of four hardy palms for UK gardens and three excellent palm varieties for indoors too. Just be aware that some palm...

Plumcot anyone? Do you have any idea what this even is? But why the weird and unusual fruit? Perhaps you have tasted some of the many strange fruit crosses, or hybrid fuiits, that are now available and maybe you are tempted to plant your own unusual fruit tree or bush?There are many different...

February is a month of hope. The spring is approaching, new life is stirring. Let's cross our fingers that the month brings happiness and maybe even some love for Valentine's Day. Here are a few suggestions for special gifts for loved ones, especially living gifts that will grow and prosper...

    Are garden plants a bit like people, perhaps? Many British folk seem to be obsessed by the weather and a multitude feel unable to contend with rain, gloomy skies, shade, or indeed, winter in general. Their inability to cope could be compared to the way that plants behave...

Bright and beautiful berries, five of the best for October Berries are just one of the 'berry' best features of the time of year.  Don't miss the spectacle that these bring in autumn. They are not only a feast for the birds but for the eyes too. In fact, rather...

Bright and beautiful Heucheras set shady spaces alight in all seasons Do you have spaces in your garden that are a problem when it comes to planting? Many of these might involve shade - particularly dry shade under trees. This is great! Every negative can be turned into a supreme...

Bugged by bugs in your garden? Here's 15 plants that can keep biting insects at bay. The summer, for all its joy and wonder, can pack a bit of a bite when it comes to insects. Even if you don't live in the wilds of Bonnie Scotland, there are plenty...