In tubs, urns, window boxes or hanging baskets, the following plants will make a colourful show all summer and into autumn. Grow in a good potting compost either loam-based or a peat-based type.

• Floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum) Very popular half- hardy annual, useful for edging. Blue, pink or white powder- puff flowers freely produced, especially if you trim off dead blooms. 15cm/6in. Moist soil, sun.
• Geranium, ivy-leaf (Pelargonium peltatum) A classic container plant. Half-hardy perennial treated as an annual. Ivy-shaped leaves on trailing stems, producing a cascade of pink, red or white flowers well into autumn. 60cm/2ft. Easy to grow; feed well, plenty of sun. Read the rest of this entry »

Exotics — from warm or tropical regions of the world — have luxurious associations for inhabitants of cooler dimes. Most have to be nurtured under glass in temperate climates.A warm greenhouse or conservatory (minimum temperature 15^°C/59°F), or an intermediate one (at least 8^°C/50°F), allows you to grow some highly colourful tropical plants. Even a cool greenhouse or conservatory (at least 5-7^°C/40-45°F) can be colourful all year round.

Five flowering exotics for the warm greenhouse

These plants offer long-lasting, spectacular flowers. They are easy to grow provided that they have plenty of warmth at all times, and moist or humid air. Read the rest of this entry »

Arepertoire for reliable and easy shrubs to grow for their flowers or coloured foliage. Some of these should be in every shrub or mixed border.

• Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) Bushy semi-evergreen which produces its tubular pink and white flowers from mid-summer to mid-autumn. 1.5-1.8m/5-6ft, soon attained. Needs a warm, sunny sheltered spot and well-drained soil.

• Barberry(Berberis x ottawensis Purpurea’) Vigorous shrub grown for its large oval, rich red-purple foliage. Quickly attains 2.4-3.6m/8-12ft. Grows on any soil, particularly good on chalk, and best in full sun. Read the rest of this entry »

Dense shade under large trees, where the soil dries out in summer, is a difficult situation for plants, yet the following will flourish. Dig in plenty of organic matter before planting, and water well in summer.

• Cherry laurel (prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’) A dwarf shrub, about 60cm/2ft high, with long narrow shiny evergreen leaves and, in spring, spikes of white flowers. Makes excellent dense groundcover.

• Holly (Ilex aquifolium J.C. van Tor) Many hollies are suitable for shade with dry soil, but this variety bears particularly heavy crops of red berries. 6m/20ft. The evergreen leaves are almost spineless. Read the rest of this entry »

Yellows and creams

Yellow means warmth and sunshine, light and brightness. Golden yellow is not commonly used on large areas in interiors but toned down with white or cream the softer shades of sand and butter yellow are very popular. As in nature large patches of bright yellow need the contrast of plenty of green to cool them down. Imagine a bed ofdaffodils in strong sunlight then imagine the same flowers planted in grass. The first is overpowering, the second is calmer and much more pleasing. Yellow and green is one of the freshest combinations you can use. To make it sparkle even more add lots of white too. Creamy-yellow rooms need a highlight or two of brighter yellow and there are plenty of flowering houseplants which come in all shades of yellow from pale primrose to chrysanthemum gold to fill the bill. Read the rest of this entry »