CATEGORIES

Look after garden wildlife

Refresh your pond and create a safe habitat,

Planting a spring container

Use hardy varieties that can withstand cold,

Sow some early sunshine

It is always a joy to start your sunflowers,

Top jobs for the Easter break

Ruth suggests the tasks worth doing this long weekend

Focus on... Asparagus

This gourmet crop is easier to grow than you might think - all you need is patience. Lucy explains how to cultivate plump and tender asparagus spears on your plot

GEMMA JEROME

The director of Building with Nature on the need to put nature at the heart of development, and why we may have to rethink our desire for our own private gardens

Artistry of nature

Within the bucolic garden of his family farm, Emmanuel de Quillacq has created a contemporary space inspired by the local Flemish art

TRUE COLOURS

Do gardens need a carefully considered colour scheme, or are they better when a mix of spontaneous, clashing colours come to the fore? Alice Vincent is undecided

RANUNCULUS

Ranunculus asiaticus has long been a popular florist's flower, but a number of new garden cultivars can now offer home growers spring colour for the garden and vase

Colour magic

In his garden in the Irish village of Kiltegan artist TJ Maher paints with plants, which in mid to late spring means tulips galore

Grass roots

Bio-designer Zena Holloway goes back to basics with her organic sculptures, fashioned from wheatgrass grown at home

Plants for moist soils

You don't have to give up on areas of moist, boggy soil, Instead, consider some of the lovely plants that are well adapted to live in these sites

Spring into action

Spring is a key time for all kinds of crucial garden jobs like pruning and preventative slug measures,

Top TEN Classic tulips

For simple elegance plus a vast variety of colours and colour combinations, choose classic tulips,

Room for a view

Stefano Marinaz has created year-round interest in this small urban garden, providing spaces to share with friends and with wildlife

Sow where they grow

Sowing seeds where they are to grow is an easy, bother-free way to bring colour to your garden. Here, three experts recommend their favourite flowers for growing direct

Natural selection

At Twelve Nunns Nursery in Lincolnshire, it has taken 20 years for three new erythroniums to be offered for sale

Flow of ideas

A creative meeting of minds has produced a dramatic spring garden of contrasts, with water at its heart

Add vertical interest with Border giants

Whatever your garden's style or size, towering plants are a must. Louise Curley recommends statuesque specimens guaranteed to take borders to new heights

The garden on three levels

Jan Mundy's garden in Usk has changed from a dark, sloping site to a contemporary outdoor space on three levels that's full of brightness and colour

Providing a balanced diet

Supplements can help plants to do their best

Walk on the wild side

Val looks at how a wild approach benefits wildlife

Focus on... Growing carrots

No kitchen garden would be complete without a crop of sweet and crunchy carrots.

Top Ten Bergenias

These hardy weed-suppressing plants provide flower and foliage colour in one valuable ground-covering perennial

Annual poppies

Poppies come in many colours, can be great for cutting and drying, and their unpredictability makes them fascinating to grow.

Get the best from asparagus

Asparagus is a perennial flowering plant species that may support a healthy gut, as well as help to lower blood pressure.

French connection

French connection One way to keep pests at bay is to grow French marigolds – but check they pass the smell test

Removing a tree stump

Steve and Val Bradley explain how to tackle tricky tree stumps

Salad days

As we start to feel the pinch, it's good to know there are crops that will come good again and again

Preparing for the pests

Think ahead and harness the power of nature