Calathea ‘Network’ – easy to grow houseplants
While I have grown lots of plants indoors in my time, I'd never grown what I now think is one of the easiest houseplants - calathea, also known as .....
Snowdrops – essentials for the winter garden
I love this time of year. Dark, cold days, punctuated by bursts of feeble winter sunshine, when the gems and jewels that appear in the garden are all the .....
Easy gooseberries for bumper crops
To my mind, everyone needs to plant a gooseberry in their garden to ensure a delicious crop of fruit for summer. And, if I only had space for one, .....
Snake’s head fritillaries – great for bees
These classy bulbs deserve a place in everyone's garden, whether naturalised in grass, planted in a border or grown in a large container - and they're great for bees .....
Aprium ‘Cot ‘n’ Candy’ – great tree for small gardens
In the hunt to find trees suitable for small gardens, we often overlook the benefits of planting fruit. Not only do you get the benefit of beautiful spring blossoms, .....
Pulmonarias – perfect for sun or shade
Some of the most beautiful spring-flowering plants that grow well both in sun and shade are forms of pulmonaria. I first remember seeing this form of the lungwort at .....
Helleborus foetidus – elegant winter foliage
Helleborus foetidus Common name: Stinking hellebore The unappealing common name of this plant refers to the strong, pungent smell given off by the leaves when they are crushed. .....
Camellias – best types to grow
When it comes to making a decision about which are the best camellias to grow, I realise that I might be talking to those of you who love these .....
Redcurrants for fruitful pickings
When I was a small child, my parents – who weren't blessed with a green finger between them – had a loganberry trained on a fence at the end .....