Phalaenopsis, or moth orchids, are the most popular indoor orchids, with exotic, long-lasting flowers. They are easy to look after and grow well in centrally heated rooms.

A generally easy-to-grow cottage garden favourite, with a few species that are best suited to rock and woodland gardens. Columbines bear dainty flowers in a wide colour range in late spring and early ...

Timing The main pruning season is late winter to early spring, but some can also be pruned in early summer after their first flush of flowers Although there are numerous clematis species, hybrids and ...

With flowers that light up even the gloomiest winter day, this easy-to-grow shrub likes a sunny spot. The small tassel-like blooms, in vivid yellow or fiery orange, are strung along the bare branches ...

Sap is a fluid that circulates through a plant's vascular system, in a similar way to blood moving through our veins. Phloem sap carries the sugars produced in the leaves by photosynthesis down to ...

These dramatic sun-loving border plants produce large spherical flowerheads, usually in beautiful shades of blue, from midsummer onwards. These sway on tall stems above clumps of strappy foliage. Some ...

This describes how acid or alkaline soil is, and is expressed as a number between 0 and 14. Soil with a pH of 7 is neutral, an acid soil has a lower value, and an alkaline soil has a higher one. Most ...

Shrub roses have an open and spreading shape, often with arching prickly branches that flower along their length. Flowers are single, semi-double or fully double in a huge number of colours – many ...

A vigorous climbing Bourbon rose to 3m tall, with thornless stems and highly fragrant, semi-double, cerise-pink flowers 8cm wide flowering almost continuously over a long period in summer and autumn; ...

Most vegetable gardens can accommodate winter crops. Some vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, take up a lot of space for a long time but are still well-worth the investment. Choose an open site with ...

Iconic and romantic, our native foxgloves are instantly recognisable – their spires of purple bells adorning woodland clearings and cottage gardens. And now, with new hybrids and different species ...