Garden Answers Spring 2024

This is such an exciting time in the garden – when everything is still full of such possibility. The dream plot you so desire is within reach! Of course, it doesn’t always work out like that for a combination of reasons – money, time or even just the weather. But nonetheless there are things that we can do now that can go a long way to helping us get the perfect garden. On page 14 we look at 20 easy ways you can transform your outdoor space – and even trying just a couple of them could result in a big difference. From adding statement pots to growing ‘edimentals’, we hope we’ve found something for everyone. And as the weather starts to improve (we say this more in hope than…

1 Tulipa ‘Fancy Frills’ is an absolute stand-out with its delicately-fringed petals that appear to have been crafted by hand. H: 50cm, S: 20cm. 2 Clematis montana rubens will dazzle from April until June. As long as its feet are in the shade, it will offer up a profusion of pastel pink blooms. H: 10m, S:1.8m. 3 Camassia leichtlinii loves to be in full sun and is perfect for growing in drifts. H: 1m, S: 20cm.…

The stage is set for spring Wooden stools, stone side tables and upturned crates help to create the wonderful staging of this display of vibrant spring blooms. Looking out over the garden to this scene will lift the heart, and it’s in no small part down to the use of different levels. All the pots are in neutral tones, allowing the colourful flowers of hyacinth, ranunculus, daffodils and anemones to be the stars of the shows. By layering the pots in interesting ways, on the stool and the table, and inside and on top of the crates, the scene is full without having to rely on just the patio floor. And that’s reflected within the pots where the sugary pink of hyacinth ‘Fondant’ and golden yellow of narcissus Tête-à-Tête provide…

Suvila bird feeding house £10.99 Fairytale inspired ceramic bird feeder with a sturdy cord to hang from a tree, birdfood.co.uk. Elho strawberry pot on legs £23.50 Made for everything strawberry plants need for healthy growth. H: 42cm, W: 33cm, bloomling.uk. Vibes Fold recycled plastic orchid pot £6.49 Pretty frosted pink, white and transparent pots, designed in partnership with specialist orchid growers. H: 15cm, elho.com. Miniature weather dial £22 Perfect for gardeners, these dials come in a range of beautiful colours, climemet.com. Garden rose scented candle £37 Fill the house with the sweet fragrance of garden roses with this beautiful candle that lasts up to 40 hours, realflowers.co.uk. Gardener’s Gift Box £20 A charming way to gift your mum her very own meadow in a lovely tin, seedball.co.uk. Mastergrip gardening gloves…

‘Daydream’ A superb new colour and perfectly named for this delightful flower. White rimmed flowers with a soft pink inner circle and a small golden eye. Very early flowering and the flowers are slightly smaller than other varieties. H: 90cm, S: 45cm; £1.29 for 600 seeds; premierseedsdirect.com. ‘Double Click Rose Bon Bon’ Fabulous Barbie pink, double pompom blooms with bright orange stamens, on strong stems that are perfect for the vase. As sweet as a bonbon! H: 90cm; £2.95 for 50 seeds; kingsseeds.com. ‘Purity’ An old variety of large, open, pure white flowers. A swathe of these throughout borders or even in containers dotted around the garden will add endless elegance from summer until early autumn. H: 1.2m, S: 45cm; £2.50 for 100 seeds; sarahraven.com. ‘Antiquity’ The colour palette for…

A Low-growing evergreen shrub smothered with rosy pink blooms in spring. B Spring bulb with delightfully striking red and yellow blooms and purple patterned foliage. C Clump-forming succulent with silvery-mauve rosettes, also called ghost plant. D Small shrub with double red, pale-centred blooms and silvery-backed petals, suits a pot. E Also known as piggy-back plant as new plantlets grow from the top of its hairy leaves. F Late spring perennial with fragrant, double white flowers that fade to pale pink. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER & INSTAGRAM @gardenanswers…