August can be a difficult month for flowers as we tend to buy plants in spring when mainly spring and early summer plants are on sale and find we have little to give colour in late summer. So go out and see what is available now by visiting nurseries and gardens. There are ideas for gardens to visit below. If you require height in your summer borders and have an open sunny site I would recommend Veronicastrum virginicum Fascination. A...

July is a month when the classic English herbaceous border is seen at its best. The gardens mentioned below have lovely borders and will give you ideas of plants to grow in your own garden. I love the herbaceous borders filled with perennials that pop up year after year. Agapanthus with its large heads of deep blue or white flowers and green strap like leaves it is an architectural plant for a hot sunny border and grows best in well...

June is a month when there is so much in flower so here are a few of my favourites to plant in your garden. For those with free draining soil in sun then the fleeting heads of Alliums are worth growing. They come in small and large heads of mainly pink and purple flowers. I suggest your plant in groups amongst low growing perennials such as Nepeta or Catmint, for best effect. For ground cover I would choose the low growing...

Late spring is the perfect time of year for delicate flowers that contrast with fresh new foliage. In the garden you can look forward to the delicate blooms of Aquilegia or Granny’s Bonnet. This loves sun or a slightly shady area and has small rounded, ferny leaves with tall stems of elegant flowers in white, pinks to deep blue. They will self seed easily if you leave the seeds heads on and pop up in unexpected places. For a change to...

Mid spring is a wonderful explosion of colour and scent. If you want rainbow colours, tulips will provide that wow factor. Tulips will often come up each year provided they have fertile well drained soil and a sunny position. Most tulips dislike heavy wet soil and you will need to replant with new each year in these conditions. Planting in pots gives a stunning display and you can select different types to give flowers over a period...

Late winter and early spring overlap in March with the traditional winter bulbs such as daffodils brightening many gardens. Daffodils, properly known as Narcissus have flowers from late winter through to spring depending on the variety. The variety February Gold is, as its name suggests, a tall, yellow early flowering variety. Jetfire is a smaller variety with an orange centre and yellow petals. I love the sweet scented varieties...

Late winter can often bring a blast of cold weather but it does not stop plants from starting to grow and flower. Bulbs start the year with crocuses and snowdrops out first. Crocuses do best in sun as the flowers will open wide in the sun, then close as the sun leaves them. Animals such as mice, voles and squirrels often dig up the bulbs especially the larger varieties so I would recommend the species crocuses with smaller flowers....

The new year is a challenging time if you want flowers in your garden. Here are some ideas of plants that will brighten your day in winter. I love Hellebore orientalis which will really give you large colourful flowers in white, pink and velvet dark purple. They are easy to grow and will tolerate full sun (I have one in full sun on a clay soil) but are better suited to slightly shady spots where the soil does not dry out. They are...