Features and Advice

Amateur gardeners scoop hundreds of pounds in prizes, by using Flower Power plant food in their pots and containers

Stunned TV gardener James Wong has hit out at an influential Twitter user who has claimed that the ethnobotanist has copied descriptions of plants from a catalogue.

Tomatoes are one of our most familiar fruits and it is hard to imagine European cuisine without it. Vicki Cooke explores the history of the tomato as well as her top growing tips.

How to use up a glut of courgettes? Cookery writer Max Clark has a delicious recipe to make the most of this prolific crop.

Bring your garden alive with the silent wings and elegant presence of beautiful butterflies. They are living ornaments to adorn your garden and enthrall young and old.

Shrubs form the backbone of the garden. They are the unsung heroes. Shrub expert, Andy McIndoe, gives 10 good reasons to plant your garden with shrubs.

Facebook can be a very useful website for gardeners to connect with like-minded people, share tips, ask for advice, post photos and even make new friends.

Alan Titchmarsh says he wants to see more children in the garden this summer holiday and beyond because it is vital kids are connected to the earth.

2015 marks the year of the sunflower, so add a little sunshine to your garden by planting a few sunflowers. The smiley, bright faces are a hit with young and old.

Infuse your garden with some fabulous summer sunshine this season. Plant sunflowers for stunning, long lasting blooms and much more.

Herbs are the powerhouse plants of the garden, says Barbara Segall. They deliver ‘va va voom’ to our food, enhancing all the fruit and veg we grow.

Grimsthorpe Castle, near Bourne in Lincolnshire, is a great family day out, with adventure playground, beautiful gardens to visit and much more.

In Jean Vernon’s blog this month she battles triffid-like bindweed, sees the Barbara Hepworth inspired garden at the Tate and visits a wildflower grower.

The rose may be the national flower of England but German company, Kordes, saw off all English rivals as its ‘Sunny Sky’ bloom was crowned Rose of the Year 2016 at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

Richard Jackson gives you a quick backstage tour of QVC before his 9am Gardening Show.

Know what plants are poisonous in the garden to pets. Here’s a list of poisonous plants for cats and dogs and 5 other hidden garden dangers.

British Flowers Week is 15 – 19 June 2015. Celebrate by growing your own cut flowers in the garden. Here are 5 easy flowers to grow.

Burghley House in Stamford is a great place to visit with children. Kids will enjoy a day out, running around in the acres of parkland, or perhaps having a splash about in the Gardens of Surprise.

Served warm, with a few rashers of crisp pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, this chard and Dolcelatte tart makes a perfect alfresco summer lunch.

Leaf cutter bees may leave unsightly holes in leaves as the cut small semi-circles to seal in their eggs; but these excellent pollinators are a true gardener’s friend.

Charlie Dimmock has launched a garden warning of the dangers of plants poisonous to cats and dogs. The garden – Poisonous Pawtanical – is on display at the Horniman Museum in South London.

For a plant of true garden merit look no further than the humble lavender plant. It’s a triple action plant, offering healing powers, culinary applications and it looks great in the garden too.