Erysimum or wallflowers are popular spring plants with vibrant flowers available in many bright colours. From early spring, wallflowers will put on a show, and look great when combined with bright spring bulbs. Here’s how to grow Erysimum in your garden… Did you know? The name Erysimum comes from the [...]

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Dahlias are the plant that keeps on giving. From summer to the first autumn frosts these prolific flowerers will light up your garden with their beautiful displays. In fact, in the right conditions, a dahlia is capable of producing 100 blooms in a season. Also, they come in a wide variety of shapes, [...]

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Chitting seed potatoes encourages strong sprouts, boosts earlier growth, improved yields, and more reliable harvests. Yes, it’s that time of the year again. It’s time to start getting seed potatoes ready for growing. The first stage in that process is what we call 'chitting’ potatoes. Watch the video below to see my best [...]

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Updated 22/09/25 Get ahead and plant these spring-flowering bulbs this autumn for a brilliant display of blooms next year. Before you get planting, be sure there’s the perfect spot ready to suit the plants as some bulbs need a specific home. Most hardy bulbs like daffodils and tulips like a warm and sunny spot [...]

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Updated 26/08/25 There are over 500 different species of aphids in Britain, ranging in size from one to seven millimetres. There are several different colours, green, black, pink, white, yellow, or mottled. Find out how to protect your plants with this pest and disease guide to aphids. What are aphids? Aphids [...]

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Updated 30/06/2025 In the garden, there are many brightly coloured flowers and different varieties of foliage plants that I love. But add some enchanting charm to your planting schemes with these top picks of plants with silver foliage. 1. Lychnis coronaria (rose campion) Firstly, the silvery grey felted leaves of [...]

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Whether you’ve just moved into a home with your first garden or have begun nurturing a few pots on the patio, welcome to the wonderful world of gardening. It’s a journey of joy, discovery, and connection to nature — but there are a few things I’ve learned over the past 40 years that most [...]

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Updated 13/06/2025 Sweet peas are a great all rounder in the garden. With delicate flowers with a delightful fragrance and climbing habit they're great when grown up wigwams and garden canes. Their habit makes them fantastic for any size garden, even small spaces. They lend themselves to cottage style spots. But even though [...]

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Updated 13/06/2025 Popular in all sorts of garden designs, bark and wood chippings have many uses. In pots, borders and pathways, there are plenty of ways to incorporate bark in the garden. They can... • Suppress weeds • Be found for sale at most garden retailers • Look attractive • [...]

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One of nature’s spring garden masterpieces is the sight of cascading flowers from a wisteria. Although wisteria is synonymous with country cottage gardens, the two most popular cultivars of this stunning plant hail from Japan (Wisteria floribunda) and China (Wisteria sinensis), both introduced to the U.K. in the early 1800’s.  Find out how [...]

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There’s no greater sight when you look at your fruit bearing trees to see them laden with fruit. It’s one of the joys of growing fruit in your garden. But natural drop or windy conditions can sometimes lead to a mass of fallen apples, that are rotten or bruised. So, what do you [...]

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Roses fill the air with their delicate scent, and delighting the eyes with their gloriously coloured flowers. But if you need to transplant a rose for any reason, here is my guide to make it a smooth transition. Digging up and moving a rose bush when it’s in full flower [...]

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Updated 09/04/25 Plant type categories like perennial, biennials and annuals may seem a bit confusing. But once you know the basics that plants are grouped by their lifecycle, all will become clear. Here’s a guide of the three types of plants you can buy. Perennial plants These plants flower reliably every [...]

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More than 2000 species of Euphorbia range from annuals to trees. This makes it one of the world's largest genera of flowering plants. An identifying characteristic is a milky latex in their stems. Plants within this huge genus range from the red-leaf Christmas poinsettias (E. pulcherrima) to ones that look like the cacti seen [...]

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Phlox are an old favourite having been grown in British gardens for more than 250 years. Mainly native to North America, there are around 68 different species. There are a wide range of types found growing in full sun, woodland and alpine tundra locations. They have flowering times ranging from spring to autumn. The [...]

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Updated 11/02/25 Raspberries are very easy to grow. Give them the best care through the year for the best harvests. Pruning raspberries is one of the tasks on the list, so here are some top tips on how to do it right. Growing raspberries Firstly, raspberries need a place [...]

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Updated 11/02/25 Shade in the garden is inevitable. Some gardens have small pockets of shade amongst borders, and others have larger sections where trees or buildings block the sun. So, these shaded areas are an opportunity to display some beautiful sun-shy plants that are often passed by at the garden centre. Before [...]

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Introduction in garden centers up and down the country there are many questions asked a member of Staff outside of do you work here where the toilets and have you got a cafe I'm talking about questions that specifically relate to plants having a purpose within the garden over and [...]

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Cosmos are popular cottage garden features, with daisy-like blooms. Some even have familiar delicious fragrances. Find out everything you need to know to grow cosmos in your garden. Plant Biography BOTANICAL NAME Cosmos COMMON NAME Cosmos NATIVE TO Cosmos plants are native to North and South America, including countries [...]

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It’s December, a time of the year when many plants have finished flowering and deciduous shrubs and trees have dropped their leaves. This leaves dark brown silhouettes highlighted against the winter skies.  Fortunately, it’s also a time when many winter flowering shrubs start showing their pretty flowers from ground to eye level and [...]

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