Richard Bloom

Bold autumn tints and early plumes of flower make the cotinus, or smoke bush, an indispensable shrub in the garden. Shrub expert Andy McIndoe advises on how to grow them. Photographs by Richard Bloom

In this once-overlooked suburban plot, designer Colm Joseph has created a modern gravel garden that offers a relaxing green retreat. Words Kate Jacobs Photographs Richard Bloom

Head gardener Jenny Barnes creates a summer meadow in a basket, featuring grasses and poppies that will thrive into autumn

With a passion for collecting bulbs and alpine plants Rod and Jane Leeds have created a garden that is brimming with life and colour in spring. Words John Hoyland, photographs Richard Bloom

A favourite of the 19th-century Florists’ Societies, auriculas continue to attract enthusiastic collectors and are one of specialities of the Suffolk nursery Woottens. Discover how to care for, propagate and 16 of the best auriculas. Words Mary Keen, photos Richard Bloom

This walled garden designed by Arne Maynard is a perfect example of a winter garden that has faded to reveal its beautiful bare framework.

The city of Sheffield's green makeover is all thanks to a groundbreaking environmental strategy. Words Jodie Jones, photographs Richard Bloom

Garden writer Jodie Jones volunteers every week at Great Dixter in East Sussex, where she has discovered community, joy, an innovative approach to planting – and that tea breaks are sacrosanct. Photographs Richard Bloom

Species tulips are the smaller, more delicate predecessors of modern tulips. Plant expert Jonny Bruce explains how to grow them, and recommends 13 of the best. Images by Richard Bloom

Commonly known as pineapple lilies, these exotic-looking plants are generally hardier than they appear, and can bring a fresh burst of colour and scent to late-summer gardens. Words Benjamin Pope, photographs Richard Bloom

Discover when to plant colchicum and the best colchicums for your garden – plus how to plant and care for them. Words by Rod Leeds, expert in autumn-flowering bulbs. Photographs by Richard Bloom.

Designers Harriet Farlam and Ben Chandler have squeezed much into this serene town garden on the north Kent coast. Words Jodie Jones. Photographs Richard Bloom.

York Gate in Leeds may be relatively small, but this historic, late 20th-century family garden is one of horticulture’s brightest gems. Words Jack Wallington, photographs Richard Bloom.

Head gardener Jenny Barnes creates an early autumn container display for a shady area. Words Jenny Barnes, photographs Richard Bloom

For this garden in north London, designer Jenny Bloom drew inspiration from the unusually wild landscape on its fringes. Words Kate Jacobs. Photographs Richard Bloom.

For an eco-friendly home on the edge of the New Forest, designer Helen Elks-Smith has created a spectacular garden that brings nature to the door. Words Ambra Edwards Words Richard Bloom

The sensitive ecological stewardship of Manor Farm is driven by a desire to restore habitats and to supply wildflower seed with provenance. Words Hannah Gardner, photographs Richard Bloom

Beth Chatto, the late, pioneering plantswoman who convinced us to find the right plant for the right place, would have been 100 this year. Here, those who were influenced by her reflect on her lasting legacy. Words Catherine Horwood, photographs Richard Bloom

Fritillaries come in many forms, from the dainty and intriguing to the dramatic and bold. Words by Richard Wilford, horticulturalist. Photographs Richard Bloom

Nature turns on the Christmas lights in this Berkshire garden, as low winter sun illuminates ornamental grasses and coloured stems. Words Jacky Hobbs, photographs Richard Bloom

A bright and airy seaside garden, shimmering with light and jewel-like colour, is guaranteed to lift the spirits. Words Clare Coulson, photographs Richard Bloom

Mynd Hardy Plants in Shropshire is everything Jill and Richard Rallings could wish for – a thriving nursery awash with superb perennials in a lovingly restored walled garden. Words Alys Fowler. Photographs Richard Bloom.

Head gardener Jenny Barnes makes a container out of a vintage wheelbarrow and uses phlox and artemisia for her mobile summer display. Photographs Richard Bloom

Soft planting contained within a formal structure of neatly clipped box, bay and yew, has given the garden of this renovated church a new lease of life – and created a perfect sense of harmony between building and plot. Words Clare Coulson, Photographs Richard Bloom