Summer
You don't find poppies and cornflowers in a real meadow - here's why they are so rare and what a meadow actually is
A brief history of the evolution of the meadow, from the last ice age
until the present day – and why poppies and corncockle do not a meadow make…
54 brilliant purple flowers for the garden
Discover 55 of the most beautiful purple flowering plants for the garden, chosen by expert horticulturalists and growers
A well-behaved alternative to bamboo, these grass-like evergreens are great year-round
Defying easy categorisation, restios are evergreen plants that offer eye-catching details, attractive stems and grow rapidly in spring
In praise of the chrysanthemum
Discover exactly how to grow these late-flowering hardy chrysanthemums that will look perfect in your garden. Photographs by Jason Ingram
These colourful stems will be a great addition to your winter garden
Cultivars of Cornus sanguinea, Cornus alba and Cornus sericea are grown for their colourful winter stems, but some have the benefit of attractive foliage too, giving them year-round appeal. Plant expert Andy McIndoe recommends some of the best.
The best fuchsias for your garden
Hardy fuchsias can flower from late spring right through to early autumn. Mat Reese, head gardener at Malverleys in Hampshire, recommends his favourites and gives advice on growing them
Why Japanese anemones are the perfect bloom for late-summer and autumn borders
These elegant blooms are perfect for brightening up late-summer and autumn borders, here we explain how to use this colourful flower.
Words: Matthew Reese, Photographs: Jason Ingram
21 brilliant bulbs to plant that will give you colour in every season
Garden designer Adam Hunt recommends his favourite bulbs for colour almost all year round.
Discover the beautiful National Dahlia Collection and the person who helped save it from disappearing
The National Dahlia Collection has had several homes since its inception in the 1980s, and now, under the care of a dedicated dahlia aficionado, it has been rescued and relocated once more to a new site in Cornwall. Photos Jason Ingram
Four key tips to help you grow stunning dahlias in your garden
Horticultural lecturer Louise Danks and rescuer of the National Dahlia Collection explains four key tips to growing dahlias
17 of the best orange flowers for a pop of colour in the garden
We asked a range of plant experts including head gardeners and nursery owners to recommend the best orange plants for the garden. Photography by Jason Ingram.
How to plant dahlia tubers and how to grow and care for these striking flowers for a colourful summer display
Dahlias are a must in the summer and autumn garden. Here's everything you need to know about how to grow dahlias, plant tubers and how to take cuttings.
Designers' favourite dahlias
Three garden designers and landscape architects – Arabella Lennox-Boyd, Ula Maria and Jo Thompson – choose their favourite dahlias for late-season colour.
10 facts you (possibly) didn’t know about dahlias
Celebrating dahlia season - here's 10 facts you might not have known about these gorgeous late season flowers
10 recommended plants for late-summer colour
Although summer is nearing its end, there are still plenty of colourful plants that will ensure your garden remains fresh and bright. Here are ten plants for late-summer colour, recommended by plantswoman Marina Christopher. Photographs by Jason Ingram.
High summer at Sissinghurst: the head gardener reflects on Vita Sackville-West's colourful summer planting
As the garden’s hot borders reach their seasonal peak, head gardener Troy Scott Smith shows how he and his team keep the interest going through summer and manage important tasks. Photographs John Campbell
Slug-proof veg: 17 plants they won't eat
Struggling with slugs eating your crops? Here are 17 varieties of veg that they won't touch.
The best plants for August
As summer reaches its peak Tom Brown, the head gardener at West Dean Gardens, picks his favourite August flowers. Photographs Jason Ingram
The best summer flowers to plant
Make sure you've got the perfect blooms in the garden for summer. Tom Brown, head gardener and tutor at West Dean College, recommends his favourites. Photographs by Jason Ingram
20 great flowers for drying: experts pick the garden flowers that will look perfect when you dry them
Preserve the fleeting summer beauty of your garden by drying flowers to enjoy year round indoors. We’ve asked three expert growers to recommend the best dried flowers to grow
The best and most beautiful garden plants for butterflies that you will love too
Make your garden attractive to vital pollinators with these suggestions of plants that butterflies love
56 beautiful, bee-friendly plants that will make your garden buzz
Create a buzz in your garden by adding the plants that bees love best.
Reducing plastic in your garden and allotment
The invention of plastic changed how we gardened forever. Now it is everywhere, here's why we need to deal carefully with our plastic usage and how to get closer to a zero waste garden. llustration Vicki Turner
Sunflowers: the best varieties and how to grow
Sunflowers' robust nature and blooms beaming with good-natured, bucolic honesty make them worthy of a place in any garden. Writer and gardener Matthew Biggs is your guide to growing sunflowers and chooses his favourite cultivars. Photographs Jason Ingram