Your guide to Perfect Plants

These small trees are blooming marvellous in spring We all know about March winds and the fact that we still have the occasional frost or even snow at this time of year. But March is a month of variables and it can be warm enough to sit out on a...

What can you plant in inhospitable spaces:  under trees; in the shade; against a wall; even ON a vertical face? The answer is FERNS. If there's one group of plants that is vastly under-used, it's ferns. Think of an outdoor space that's rarely planted. How about the shady place under trees?...

What to do when it rains It's obvious what garden-lovers should be doing when there is precipitation cascading from above. Plan for plants that like the conditions! This is the UK, after all, and one thing is certain  even in areas that are considered to be deserts (Dungeness), there is generally...

Roses the bloom of the moment It's the last week of May and time for roses to do something very special. The buds are bursting into colour and throughout June they will bloom their socks off. The warm air will be filled with scented delight - a smell evocative of...