Bright canary yellow blooms smother the bare (nude) stems. Depending on the weather they can flower from January onwards, a sure sign that spring is on its way. A sheltered spot will bring the flowers out earlier. Jasminum needs some…
Mahonias are a popular shrub, instantly recognisable for its painfully distinctive spiky leaves. The long spikes of golden winter flowers are worth a bit of pain. The flower starts early from November through to March, releasing a strong ‘lily-of-the-valley’ perfume.…
Probably the most reliable winter-flowering shrub, it never fails to flower. It is a versatile evergreen shrub with an upright, rounded habit. glossy dark green leaves covering the plant throughout the year. It can be trimmed and shaped early in…
The winter cold can leave the garden bare and uninviting. you need something to light up the damp, grey skies. Weirdly some plants enjoy the winter, some are small and insignificant with sweetly scented flowers, others have brightly coloured foliage…
Nothing says Christmas quite like poinsettias. Bright and bold, the colourful bracts light up the winter months. The poinsettia comes from Mexico, where it grows up to 16 feet tall and creates crimson mountainsides during December. The first missionaries to…
True hardy cyclamen are a joy to see, a drift of colour that pops up every year to brighten up your day. Once they are settled in they can spread, throwing up masses of flowers followed by seeds that quickly…
If you looked in any old gardening book the idea of using cyclamen for autumn colour would be frowned on. However things have moved on and we now have cyclamen that make perfect autumn bedding. They look like house plant…
The humble cabbages flamboyant cousin, usually sold in full glorious technicolour, ranging from deep purple to deep pink or pure white. They seem to glow especially in dull weather. The foliage can be flat or curly, there is also a…
There is a conifer to suit every garden, no matter how small. They are unlike any other shrub, they provide structure, colour and interest all year round and bringing harmony to any planting scheme. They can be effective in a…
Not really a plant, but the name given to autumn flowering dome-shaped chrysanths. They will be smothered in literally hundreds and hundreds of small flowers in deep, rich Autumnal shades, they make fabulous plants for outdoors, or neat little domes…
The ugly ducklings of the garden, boring green during the summer it all changes in the autumn when the leaves change into a blaze of colour. When they drop, the brightly coloured stems appear.Easy to grow they are like a…
Colourful buds form in the autumn proving long-lasting winter interest, the buds eventually open in the spring and are often scented.They prefer an acid soil to grow successfully if your soil is not suitable, they make good container plants. Vine…
A compact evergreen shrub which makes an impact with beautiful autumn and winter foliage.In early spring and summer, the young leaves are fresh green or light red but when they reach the autumn they change colour, ranging from bronze to…
They are prized by gardeners for their ability to flower during the winter and early spring. The plants are surprisingly frost-resistant and many are evergreen, they even grow in shade.Often called xmas roses they are not related to roses but…
A range of trailing plants used to fill in the sides of patio pots and the base of hanging baskets A range of cool summer spillers and fillersFillers back row Geranium, Petunia, Nemesia, BegoniaSpiller front Brachycombe, Lobelia, Bacopa, Mini Petunia,…
A range of bushy flowering and foliage plants, to provide colour and fill up your patio pots and hanging baskets A wide range of colourful fillers for your summer planters. A rainbow of colours a perfect marriage with some taller…
A range of taller plants that are perfect for using in summer patio pots and hanging baskets, to add height and texture. A selection of colourful foliage plants, they give height and shape to your planter. A mix of hot…
A range of trailing plants to provide colour and shape to your planters
A range of bushy flowering and foliage plants A wide range of colourful fillers for your spring planters. A rainbow of primrose colours a perfect marriage for bright spring bulbs
A range of plants that are perfect for using in spring patio pots and hanging baskets A selection of evergreen foliage plants, hardy they give height and shape to your planter, most can be planted out into the garden next…
A range of trailing plants to provide colour and shape to your planters
A range of bushy flowering and foliage plants
A range of plants that are perfect for using in winter patio pots and hanging baskets A selection of evergreen foliage plants, winter hardy they give height and shape to you planter, most can be planted out into the garden…
Winter heathers are really useful and are one of the few plants to reliably flower during the winter.You may find three kinds of heathers on sale during the winter, One group is from South Africa (cape heathers) and are grown…
A range of heathers that flower throughout the autumn, from the traditional purple calluna growing high on the hills to modern bud heathers and the frankly weird painted heathers, they provide instant autumn colour. The most popular autumn heathers now…
A good place to start when planning your garden is neighbouring gardens, here you will find out what works in your area, this can save you expensive mistakes in the future.Go out for a walk find the best garden and…
A Tempting choice of brightly coloured flowers, bringing the promise of glorious summer days. Easy to grow summer bedding is a good choice for new gardeners You don’t even need a garden, think about planters or hanging baskets. Fast-growing and easy to look…
House plants are great for beginners. We want you to have fun with your house plants, so I have chosen some foolproof plants to start with, they should adapt to any house. No 1 Spider plant find out more No…
It is time to think about colours, for our new gardener I think a simple hot or cool mix is probably the easiest. Using a designers colour wheel you can create a theme. Hot mix A hot mix creates a vibrant…
Plants that are hardy and can be planted out without worrying about the weather, this includes viola, pansy, bellis and forget me not. I would also include spring-flowering bulbs like tete-tete and tulips. When the weather is too cold for…
They will flower longer than pansies, often well into the winter. Most Violas bought in flower during the autumn may stop flowering in the winter but they will flower again in the spring. Some extra hardy violas will flower all…
A very common edging or trailing plant they look good in pots and hanging baskets. Popular for its blue flowers you should try some of the other colours. Modern breeding has improved the habit and increased the flowering time of…
Sun-loving plants that love a hot, dry summer. Tough, they can stand a light frost, an early flowering summer plant with a wide range of colours. Once tall and straggly with flowers that closed during dull weather, they have been…
Sun-loving plants that love a good summer. Marguerite or Argyranthemum to give them their Sunday name, are versatile bedding plants. If you remember the tall straggly plants that needed deadheading all the time, like canary primrose. You will be surprised…
Beautiful flowers the delicate pastel-coloured bell flowers are still popular and are so versatile you can choose trailing, climbing and upright varieties which are perfect for beds, borders, containers, hanging baskets, troughs or even in the house. You will be…
Brightly coloured long-lasting flowers you can have small, medium and tall types they are very versatile. They prefer the sun and will need watering in dry spells. In the autumn they form a tuber that can be kept over the…
Once the number one bedding plant, its demise was sudden. When bizzie Lizzie mildew broke out, there was no chemical solution available to the public and as it was likely your plants would become infected, most nurseries and retailers stopped…
Tough sun-loving plants that can provide height to displays. Compact and upright varieties are available which makes them perfect for beds, borders and containers. Bright vibrant colors, tough enough to stand a touch of frost or cold weather, they can…
Sun-loving plants that enjoy a hot, dry summer. Glowing orange, red and yellow flowers make them an indispensable summer plant The best choice for Orange and yellow flowers, good in patio pots. They need the sun and don’t like the…
Sun-loving plants that prefer a hot, dry summer. Petunias come in a wide range of colours and sizes, they make a versatile Summer plant Sold as trailing types for hanging baskets and upright varieties which are perfect for beds, borders…
Sun-loving plants that enjoy a hot, dry summer. Geraniums or Pelargoniums to give them their Sunday name, are versatile bedding plants for summer. Trailing types often called ivy leaf. They are perfect for beds, borders, containers, hanging baskets, troughs or…
Begonias come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, check the label for the final height. Small flowering begonias are often sold as begonia semperflorens or bedding. The well known begonia nonstop(c) grows taller with big double flowers. There…
Summer bedding is the planting of short-lived but fast-growing plants to provide masses of colourful flowers or foliage through the summer. The plants are normally annuals but just to confuse you, they can also be biennials, tender perennials or hardy…
Exotic long-lasting flowers, they are very easy to look after and very Affordable offering great value for money. Orchids once very expensive and rare, they are available all year round. Some well-known ones would be Phalaenopsis, Cambria and Oncidium. Habit A wide range of…
They are very adaptable even in very deep shade with an attractive climbing or trailing habit. They can be a bit confusing to buy, now called Epipremnum, older gardeners will call them Scindapsus, the name was changed in the ’60s to Epipremnum…
They are very adaptable, easy to grow and small plants are inexpensive to buy Monstera deliciosa, the swiss cheese plant has been around our houses for over 100 years going in and out of fashion. Habit Famous for its deeply slashed leaves, they can…
Wide range of foliage shapes and sizes. long-lasting Most dragon plants will be Dracaena, some well-known ones would be, fragrans probably the easiest to grow, marginata a very popular narrow leaf type, sanderiana often sold as lucky bamboo. Habit A wide range…
Wide range of foliage shapes and sizes, easy to grow and long-lasting. Ficus, some well-known ones would be, elastica the traditional rubber plant, benjamina the weeping fig with small leaves, pumila a small creeping plant and lyrata the fantastic fiddle leaf fig. Habit…
Can flower for up to 3 months. Exotic looking but easy to grow. Bromeliads, some well-known ones would be Guzmania, Aechmea and Vriesea, Habit A wide range of shapes and sizes, all have an urn-shaped base with a flower spike. Designed for a…
Jade plants are easy to grow, they are very adaptable and can live for a long time. Crassula ovata. Habit A busy habit with fleshy stems and leaves, they can be trimmed and shaped making them a good indoor bonsai plant. Slow…
