CATEGORIES

The science of soil

Healthy soil is teeming with life - Becky Searle delves below the surface to explore how this fascinating system works and how it can benefit our plants

'It's like another lung - like having oxygen on tap. It makes you breathe in a different way'

Helen Maxwell's garden in rural Carmarthenshire surrounds the house that her husband (who's an architect) designed.

The Full Monty

I can, and occasionally do, manufacture jobs in a kind of gung-ho, boy-scout spirit

Hardwood cuttings

It's the zero-fuss way to make free new shrubs - just follow our guide from Nick Bailey

Your wildlife month

December is a time for reflection in the garden. What worked for wildlife in 2023 and what didn't? How could you do more? Looking at the bones of the garden now, is there space for more plants? Are your fences bare? Are there enough berries and hips? You have until March to plant bare-root trees and shrubs. What would look good? What would better serve wildlife?

Lightweight gardening tools

AS well as being good for our mental health, gardening is also great exercise.

The box ball blues

As if his beleaguered box hadn't already taken a beating, Toby now has to deal with some hungry box caterpillars

To dig or not to dig?

Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate

Strange sightings

Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day

Save your own seeds

Masterclass on: seed saving

Create a winter container

There are as many options as in summer

Winter moth prevention

Ruth shows you how to avoid maggoty tree fruits

A bolt from the blue!

Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase

Autumn price round-up

AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands

Rudbeckias

Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters

Foxgloves (digitalis)

Modern foxgloves range from tall and elegant, bushy and punchy to simply delightful - both close up and from afar

For a scented summer eve

Grow these around a seating area

Understanding photoperiodism

Steve and Val Bradley explain how daylength plays its part in plant growth

Better blackberries

Blackberries are some of the most reliable and prolific croppers in the garden so make more of them, says Bob

Up the garden path

Wildlife and visitors love the plants growing in Val's path

Tidying-up before autumn

Take time out to get everything straight, says Ruth

Keep the lawn looking good

Remove dead material and keep the soil healthy

Autumn rose maintenance

Cut back, mulch and remove diseased stems, says Ruth

Cutting back in autumn

Masterclass on: tidying up for winter

Sugar high

When contemplating trees to blaze a trail in a garden, there is nothing sweeter than the sugar maple, says Toby

Leaf-vein cuttings

Make new plants from leaf-vein cuttings with Nick Bailey's essential guide

Your wildlife month

Many gardeners extend their season of colour by growing late-flowering Verbena bonariensis, rudbeckias, Michaelmas daisies and sedums.

Small space big flavour

Homegrown squash are an early-autumn crop, full of delicious culinary potential. Rukmini Iyer teams them with baked gnocchi and goat's cheese

Hassle-free harvests

October may signify the end of the growing year, but there is still plenty of joy to be had, from harvests and glorious colour changes to planting overwintering crops for next year

Heavenly hedges

Evergreen or deciduous, large or small, hedges are the perfect way to bring structure to your garden - and now is the best time of year to plant one