How do I plant a hanging basket that lasts all summer?
Basket size, the liner and reservoir, a compost mix that does not dry out by lunchtime, and the feeding regime that keeps it flowering into September.
beginner1 hr5 min read
Plants & Flowers
Choosing, planting and keeping things alive.
150 guides in Garden
How do I plant a tree or shrub so it survives?
Hole size, planting depth and the watering regime that gets a new plant through its first two years.
beginner1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I stop plant pots getting too hot in the sun?
Roots in a container sit in a thin shell exposed to sun on all sides, and root temperature — not air temperature — is what damages them. What actually cooks a pot, and the cheap fixes.
beginner20 min5 min readWhat flowers do bees and pollinators actually use?
Why continuity from February to November matters more than any particular plant, which flower shapes different pollinators can actually reach, and the popular plants that offer nothing.
beginner25 min5 min readWhich type of rose should I buy?
The six classes of rose sold in the UK, what each one actually does in a garden, and why the class you buy commits you to a particular pruning job for the life of the plant.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy did my hydrangea not flower this year?
The four causes in order of likelihood — wrong-time pruning, late frost, too much shade or too much nitrogen — and how to tell which one it was.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy did my tulips not come back this year?
Why most garden tulips are effectively annuals in British conditions, the four things that make the difference, and the types that genuinely do return year after year.
beginner25 min4 min readWhy do my pots dry out so quickly?
The five reasons a container needs watering twice a day, and the changes that halve it — pot size, material, compost, mulch and where it stands.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I choose plants that will actually thrive?
Reading plant labels properly, matching them to your conditions, and judging quality at the nursery.
beginner30 min2 min readWhy have my container plants gone yellow and stopped growing?
The midsummer stall that catches almost every container gardener — running out of feed — and the three other causes that look identical.
beginner20 min5 min readBush, cordon, espalier or fan — which fruit tree form should I buy?
Six trained forms compared on ground space, wall space, pruning commitment and which fruits each one suits — including why plums and cherries are never cordons.
beginner20 min5 min readHow do I grow a fruit tree in a small garden?
Choosing rootstock and form for a small space, planting properly, and the pollination question that catches people out.
intermediate7 days2 min readHow do I keep supermarket herb pots alive?
Why they die within a fortnight, and the splitting and repotting that turns one pot into several lasting plants.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I look after houseplants in a heatwave?
Indoor plants face a combination nothing outdoors does — glass magnifying the light, no air movement, and very dry air. Which of those is actually damaging yours, and what to change.
beginner15 min5 min readHow do I tell which nutrient my plant is short of?
Reading which leaves are affected — oldest or newest — to separate the mobile nutrients from the immobile ones, and what each pattern actually means.
intermediate25 min3 min readWhat can I grow in dry shade under a tree?
Why the ground under a tree is the hardest place in a garden, the planting technique that works there, and the plants that genuinely cope.
intermediate1 hr 30 min3 min readWhat should I feed fruit trees and bushes, and when?
Why potash rather than nitrogen is the fruit grower's feed, the late-winter timing that matters, and the mulching and grass-free circle that do more than any fertiliser.
beginner45 min5 min readWhich climber will actually hold onto my wall or fence?
The four mechanisms climbers use to attach themselves, what support each one physically requires, and why a new climber sitting in a heap at the bottom of a wall is nearly always a support problem rather than a plant problem.
beginner20 min5 min readWhich plants actually last for years in a pot?
The traits that make a plant a good long-term container subject, the reliable performers for a British patio, and the popular ones that will not do it however well you look after them.
beginner12 min3 min readWhy are my daffodils all leaves and no flowers?
The five causes of blind daffodils in the order they are worth checking, why congestion is the commonest, and the lift-and-divide job that fixes a clump that has stopped performing.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy do my hanging baskets need watering twice a day?
The four things about a basket that make it dry faster than any pot on the ground, and the changes that halve the watering.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does my basil keep dying?
Why supermarket basil collapses within a fortnight, and the light, water and pinching regime that keeps a plant going all summer.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy is my rose not flowering?
Working through light, feeding, pruning, suckers and rose replant disease to find why a rose produces growth and no blooms.
beginner25 min3 min readDo pots really need drainage holes?
Why a pot with no hole kills plants that look thirsty, how to use a decorative container that cannot be drilled, and when a saucer helps and when it does not.
beginner20 min4 min read