Whether you have a few pots or a country pile, ALAN TITCHMARSH’s simple step-by-step guide is all you need to make your outside space flourish Your spring checklist The gardening season starts here! The days become longer, the ground is warming up and the weeds are starting to grow. Stay on top now and … Read more
Who says veg don’t look as gorgeous as they taste? Sow cabbages in April and you’ll get a wonderful display – and can eat them freshly picked – in late summer. Even if you’re short on space, it’s still worthwhile growing your favourite fruit and veg. They taste so much better when you eat them … Read more
Bumblebees love colour – the brighter the better Transform your garden into a thriving haven for bees, birds and butterflies with these easy ideas The past 50 years have seen a gradual role reversal. Nowadays, it’s often the countryside that is highly manicured, and it’s gardens that wildlife rely on for a living. The popularity … Read more
Alan planting daffodil bulbs. In spring, he uses manure and garden compost to boost established beds The secret to a happy garden? Great soil. Here’s how to improve yours… To most people, soil is just dirt. But to plants, it’s life or death. Whether you garden on clay, sand or chalk, it affects what will … Read more
For drama and swathes of late summer colour, Japanese anemones, hydrangeas and eupatorium have been planted with ornamental grasses Creating or transforming a beautiful border can seem daunting. But with some simple planning, it can also be surprisingly easy – and fun The golden rules with gardening are: don’t take on too much at first, … Read more
‘We can’t control the wider world, but we can control a small corner of it,’ says Alan ALAN TITCHMARSH learned to garden at his grandfather’s knee. He reveals here how the natural world has healed, surprised and delighted him for more than seven decades In my family album there’s a photograph of my grandfather Herbert … Read more
1. THE DRY GARDEN The Dry Garden was made in early 2004 from a yard in front of old stables we had used to store building material over the previous decade. It had a Tarmac covering, which I unpeeled with a shovel to reveal a solid bed of stone. This is the old red sandstone … Read more
Delightful Daphnes: Plant these pretty shrubs and blossom will fill the air Daphnes are a small but valuable genus of flowering shrubs you can grow in UK They come from Europe, North Africa and Asia with 2 species native to Britain The better known, Daphne mezereum, has fragrant, purple-pink spring flowers By Nigel Colborn for … Read more
Bright and beautiful: Now is the time to plant vibrant blooms for a show that lasts all year Nigel Colborn shares advice for a beautiful garden bursting with colour all year British gardening expert says white or soft blues go well with silvery-grey leaves He warns all-white gardens are a popular idea but difficult to … Read more
The way that I have designed my garden is, as a friend of mine only half-jokingly described it, ‘like a series of allotments’. It means there are a number of different areas, all quite separate and usually hidden from the rest. I make no apologies for this and enjoy the surprises and sense of enclosure … Read more