June is such a lovely month for flowers with the foliage still fresh and so many flowering perennials and shrubs to choose from. Tradescantia Andersoniana varieties are hardy perennials with white, deep pink or violet mauve iris like flowers in June. They have grass like leaves, about 50cm tall and will form a clump in moisture retentive soils. Osteospermum Cannington Roy is a prostrate African Daisy which flowers in early June (see...

There are many shrubs and trees that give spring colour and this month I recommend some colourful additions to the garden. Starting with Crab Apple or Malus trees. These can be bought on dwarfing rootstocks and will be suitable for small gardens. The varieties Malus Royalty or Profusion have deep pink flowers and dark purple foliage as shown in the photo although the crab apples are tiny. Easy to grow in sun or part shade on loamy to...

The background of brown and grey that we have had over the last few months of winter have given way to fresh new green leaves on shrubs with splashes of bright colours from bulbs especially late flowering Narcissus and many colourful Tulips. Now the perennials start into growth and some give early season colour. In my garden where there is light shade in a north facing area and in full sun I have many self seeded Aquilegia or Grannies...

I love March which brings fresh new foliage and so many more flowering plants to enjoy. Although the weather can be windy and wet with snow, by this month new growth is unstoppable. In spring, the stars are the bulbs, especially the many varieties of daffodil, early tulips and the wood anemone, Anemone nemerosa or Anemone blanda. The Anemones are low growing with daisy like flowers in white, blue or lilac. They like woodland edge...

February holds the promise of spring in often in cold and frozen conditions so plants have to be tough to flower. There are a few brave plants that will give winter interest but much of the colour comes from evergreens and the stems of trees and shrubs. February is known as the snowdrop season so try and take time out to visit local woodland or some of the gardens with drifts of snowdrops and other early flowering bulbs. Rode Hall in...

Mid winter can bring icy cold or drab wet days so you will want something cheerful to look at. Last month I covered some evergreen planting ideas and here are some more for a space maybe 2m in length by 1m depth. Yellow and red are cheerful colours in an evergreen shrub. Yellow foliage and scented white flowers in spring can be provided by Choisya ternata Sundance. This is sometimes known as Mexican Orange Blossom. Grow in a sunny...

As Christmas approaches and the year draws to a close it is time to enjoy the evergreens in the garden. I always suggest that you concentrate a collection of plants with winter interest, either somewhere that you can see as you arrive at your home or in a view that you see on a daily basis from a window. I like plants that have good shape and colourful foliage. Chameacyparis pisifera Filifera Aurea is a golden foliage conifer with...

October is a month when the garden still sports some colour and foliage before the leaves fall in autumn. It is also the month when the harvest of fruit and summer vegetables comes to a close leaving just those robust vegetables for winter. Squashes and pumpkins come in a multitude of shapes and colours as can be seen from the photo below. They should be cut off the parent plant and left in the sun away from wet, to ripen. When you...

In early autumn the colours change from pastels to hot colours and if you plan your garden scheme you can have a concentrated area filled with autumn colour. Autumn flowering shrubs that are reliable and flowers for weeks are the varieties of Hibiscus syriacus. These shrubs will grow on most soil provided they retain moisture. They take a year or two to start to grow and also come into leaf later in spring than most shrubs. However,...

August is a month where perennials come to the fore with stunning colours and a plant for every type of soil. Daisy style flowers are always popular and one of the best for a sunny garden with soil that does not dry out are Heleniums. They grow to about 80cms tall and have yellow, orange or red flowers that last for a few weeks if you keep then dead headed. If you plant them in front of the potentially tall, light yellow daisy flowers...