Although it may feel like winter hasn't quite left the building, spring really is galloping towards us, and that means it's time to think about summer-flowering bulbs. I love all bulbs, most of them give great value for money, flowering for a long period, with a small footprint, allowing other plants to grow and develop around them, and many of them will come back year after year. I am a particular fan of dahlias, as they have such splendid colour, and come in so many different forms, from...

What plant would you turn into, if you were being chased by Apollo? Daphne turned herself into a Daphne, and looking at this little beauty, are your surprised? This particular Daphne, Daphne odora "Aureomarginata" is evergreen, prefers a protected spot and shade or semi-shade. It has narrow golden edges to the leaves, and very fragrant; long-flowering pink flowers. It will eventually get to about 1.5m tall and wide, but in my clay soil, it's taking a while. They adapt well to containers, as...

Waterwise gardening is coming to the fore, with gardens devoted to it at garden shows as well as a number of new books on the subject. This book, "Waterwise Gardening" by Tom Massey is a good introduction to the subject with plenty of practical tips and ideas. It looks clearly at the reasons that we might want or need to have “waterwise” gardens, and acknowledges the real challenge for many gardens, that they either have too much water or not enough. The book looks at both active and passive...