There is something almost magical about watching a bare fence or a dull brick wall disappear under a veil of leaves and flowers in just a few months. Annual climbers are the garden’s quick-change...

If you’ve ever turned a rose leaf and found a cluster of soft, green aphids feasting away, you’ll know that sinking feeling. But before reaching for a spray bottle, imagine another scene: a quiet...

There’s a particular kind of quiet magic in a raspberry patch just after harvest. The buzz of bees has softened, the canes stand a little wild and unruly, and the air seems to whisper,...

Waiting for beetroot seeds to wake up If you’ve ever sprinkled beetroot seeds into a neat little row, patted the soil lovingly… and then stared at an empty bed for days, you’re not alone....

The quiet magic of Abelia in a small UK garden There are some plants that behave like loud guests at a party, demanding all the attention. And then there’s Abelia – quietly radiant, long-flowering,...

On a grey February afternoon, when the garden looks a little sleepy, I like to sit with a cup of tea and dream of October: arms full of round, glowing pumpkins, the scent of...

Some flowers feel as if they were created especially for cottage gardens. Antirrhinums – better known as snapdragons – are certainly among them. With their playful “dragon mouths”, delicious scent and generous flowering habit,...