Garden Answers Spring 2025

“Dividing and repotting my pond plants.” Louise Curley recommends foliage that really dazzles in spring, p14 “Beginning to sow hardy annuals in modular trays.” Val Bourne picks sun lovers for borders, p20 “Pruning camellias and then giving them a good mulch.” Sue Fisher spotlights these charming plants, p26 “Mini-meadow sowing and cornfield annual sowing – they often get confused!” Adrian Thomas’s unusual plants, p42 “Sowing, mulching and enjoying the return of the longer days.” Join Olga Grieves on her Devon allotment, p66 “Integrating perennial veg, including sea kale, into my allotment.” Dan Masoliver invites you to his garden, p106…

As we move towards the warmer months, it’s inevitable that our thoughts turn to the dazzling flowers we’re looking forward to growing – the dahlias, sunflowers, rudbeckias, echinaceas et al, that provide us with so much colour. Indeed, in this issue of GA we have a feature all about those unashamed sun-worshippers that bring our borders to life. However, we too often overlook the role that foliage plays in the spring and summer garden. It can be the colourful canvas on which our flowers can paint their delightful hues, and on page 14 we feature our favourites. It’s worth remembering, too, that green is a colour that should be celebrated as much as the reds and purples. Get the big foliage in your garden right and the rest almost looks…

1 Fritillaria imperialis produces fantastic clusters of bell-shaped orange flowers on upright stems in spring. Bulbs need to be planted deep, in early autumn, to ensure blooms. Try 'Garland Star’. H: 1m. 2 The healing properties of comfrey are well-known and its pendulous purple or white bellflowers are so sweet in a mixed border. An easy to look after, clump-forming perennial. H &S: 1.5m. 3 The pretty, frothy blue clouds of forget-me-nots are fantastic for lining the edges of pathways and borders. Its understated elegance allows more colourful plants to really shine. H&S 50cm.…

Patio project FLORAL THEATRE There’s a school of thought that says it’s best to keep container displays simple, with just a few plants repeated in order to give it maximum impact. Then there’s the school of thought that throwing everything plus the kitchen sink works – which it certainly does here. From the always fabulous tulipa ‘Blue Diamond’ to the shimmering fronds of Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’ potted up with ranunculus, this is real floral theatre. Euphorbia mellifera and standard box provide a zingy green backdrop for everything else to bounce off. The tiny species tulip at the front is such a sweet addition.…

Picnic rug with waterproof backing £89.95 Beautiful high quality picnic rug by Tweedmill, woven in North Wales from pure new wool. black-by-design.co.uk Made to measure rainbow table runner From £24 Woven in Lancashire from organic and recycled cotton by Maison Elhoria. maisonelhoria.com Rainbow flower seed bombs £6.99 Attract pollinators with a specially selected blend of native wildflower seeds. Scatter, water and grow. sueryder.org/shop LED rainbow pathway lights £29.99 Decorate lawns, borders and flowerbeds and watch as they elegantly illuminate the night darkness. wayfair.co.uk Rainbow heart coir door mat £27 This colourful rainbow & heart mat will brighten up your doorway. heavenlyhomesandgardens.co.uk Metallic plastic wine glasses £40 Add a cheerful pop of colour to your home when entertaining indoors or out. audenza.com…

Ongoing roadworks on the A3/M25 interchange, in Surrey, are believed to have cost RHS Wisley £6m in losses. The RHS says the gridlock caused by the major works taking place next to the landmark gardens have led to 350,000 fewer people visiting Wisley annually. As a result, major projects including new arboretums and tree planting have been delayed while science funding and outreach work has been cut. Celebrity gardener Sir Alan Titchmarsh has called the impact on the charity “catastrophic” and urged the government to compensate for the loss. The work began in September 2022 and will not end until 2026.…