There are so many flowering plants to choose from in summer. I will start with those flowers that like a sunny garden and well drained soil. Perovskia atriplicifolia Blue Spire also known as Russian Sage is a good small shrub. If you have really dry soil in summer then this is a plant for you. It grows about 75cm tall, upright habit and has grey leaves and little pale blue flowers (see photo). Cut back hard in spring to about 10 cm...

By June, the garden is at its peak with new foliage, many flowering perennials and shrubs. For those with well drained soil, flowers like Alliums are popping up fleetingly. The large heads of Allium aflatunense Purple Sensation will grow to about 75cm tall. A sun loving shrub is Cistus purpureus Alan Fradd which has semi evergreen leaves and lovely pure white flowers with red blotches at the base of each petal. Growing to about 1m in...

For me, May means blossom on trees and shrubs in predominately pink and white, fresh new foliage, warm days and the promise of home grown vegetables to come. Wisteria flowers hanging in curtains on the plant is one of the most beautiful adornments to a house. The flowers are fragrant so do make sure some blooms are near enough to smell their scent. Best grown in a sunny sheltered spot with fertile well drained soil. Buy plants that...

April is the month when plants really get going and I would like to start by looking at climbers, in particular Clematis. Spring gives a number of varieties to consider. Clematis armandii with larger, white slightly scented flowers is an evergreen climber which will flower even in darker corners of the garden. It needs a sheltered spot with moist well drained soil to do best and bear in mind it will cover a large area. I love Clematis...

March is when spring comes to life with unstoppable new growth, usually offset with gales and frost to damage new shoots but there is always colour or scent to enjoy. March is the best month for daffodils with some many varieties to choose from. I enjoy visiting Dunham Massey winter gardens to see many varieties en masse and took this photo of Narcissus Jenny with larger yellow daffodils behind them. Daffodils are good under deciduous...

February can be mild or freezing so it is difficult to plan for flowering colour. There are the tough little stalwarts namely snowdrops and crocuses in flower alongside the blue Chionodoxa or Iris reticulata. Snowdrops do well in slight shade in well drained soil. Crocus can have large flowers and blackbirds tend to like destroying the yellow flowers. I find the species crocuses such as Crocus Tommasinianus better as they have smaller...

January is difficult for colour in the garden. For inspiration I would visit Ness Botanic Gardens on the Wirral or Dunham Massey Gardens near Altrincham and enjoy the wide variety of colour and interest from flowers, foliage and bark. In mild periods in January the winter heather Erica carnea varieties, will give colour from pink and white flowers. When a few varieties are grown together on a sloping bank, they look spectacular....

The year end is approaching and it is time to enjoy the small splashes of colour in the garden. Frost is so pretty on the most ordinary of foliage so enjoy the frosting on the humble blackberry leaf (see photo) or the large flat dying heads of Sedum or Hydrangea. I know I have mentioned this before but one of my favourite shrubs Viburnum bodnantense Dawn, started flowering in October and is heavy with scent in milder periods...

With autumn sunshine and cooler nights there are flowers that will give you plenty of colour in October if you plan ahead. So if your garden has looked dull this year and you have the right soil, here are a few ideas for late colour, mainly in pink and red. For well drained soil in sunshine, such as at the base of a wall I would try Nerine bowdenii. This exotic looking deep pink flower is about 30 cm (12 ins) tall and emerges before...

I love early autumn when a new range of plants spring into colour. It takes some planning to have a border looking good at this time especially as we have had a dry summer so many plants are dry and tired. If you are looking for plants that will come up every year and give you a display of colour at this time of year consider perennials such as Knipofia or Red Hot Pokers although some are not red. Varieties such as Sunningdale Yellow...