CATEGORIES

The scent of Summer

For an olfactory treat, sniff out plants with aromatic leaves and fragranced flowers – they’ll lift your mood, invigorate the garden and conjure up happy memories…

Amazing Stories About Plants

We look at the dahlia, rosemary, the ‘Painted Lady’ sweet pea and the first pink daffodil

Olive and let live

Even in poor ground, Toby’s olives are defying expectations, but he’s still making time for a bit of tender olive care…

Really Fruitful Gardening

Grow the best-eating strawberries yourself, says Peter

A glorious carpet of colour

Asters provide low-growing patches of beauty, says Ruth.

No Veg Plot? No Problem. Use A Sunny Windowsill Or Conservatory

Those lucky enough to have fruit and vegetable plots will have been making the most of them in the past few weeks. But even if you don’t have an outdoor space in which to grow food, you can do a lot with a windowsill or conservatory, explains Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox.

Make borders sing with Clever colour combinations

Summer is the season of colour, and by choosing your perfect palette – and sticking to it – you’ll give your garden a stylish, put-together look, says Camilla Phelps

Mulch and how to use it

It’s time to mulch beds and borders, but what to use and how much are the keys, says Tim

For daisies that delight, choose Osteospermums

With uplifting flowers in a range of shades, African daisies are just what you (and your garden) need right now. Graham Clarke shares his best bets for borders and containers

Let the flowers grow!

Leave some areas of grass to grow longer, says Val, and you’ll see an increase in wildflowers and wildlife

It's time to Dig This!

Make your own container to grow fresh veg, says Peter

Winning ways with Wisteria

Perfect for a pergola – or even for a pot – wisteria may have lofty ambitions, but there are ways to tame all but the most vigorous of cultivars, says Tamsin Hope Thomson

Make Your Garden Light Work

Spend less time on maintenance and more time kicking back with these smart choices

Cold comforts

We may be entering sunnier days, but the risk of a late frost means we should plan for cover, as Bob explains

Between spring and summer

Christopher Lloyd explains how to fill the lull in the garden in the second half of May

Add a royal flush of colour

Add some class with statuesque cleomes, says Ruth

Attracting Frogs To Garden Pond

Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on: bringing frogs to a pond

Snap to it! Snap

This month Rob Smith explains why we should grow two much-underrated types of pea, mangetout and sugar snap

The low-carbon The garden

Gardeners are green-minded folk, but even our seemingly innocuous pastime has its impacts. With more of us looking to be planet-friendly and lower our carbon footprints, Benedict Vanheems asks: how can kitchen gardening play its part?

THE CROP THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Perpetual spinach or chard is such a worthwhile crop for any garden. It is easy to grow, looks great and the harvests just go on and on. KG’s Steve Ott investigates

ONE TO TRY GARDEN LADDERS

You need to be sure when carrying out work above ground on ladders and steps that you can rely on your equipment to keep you safe – especially if you hate heights as much as KG editor Steve Ott!

HERB OF THE MONTH...Bay

One of the essentials of the herb garden, the sweet bay is used in so many dishes and it’s a valuable all-round garden plant too

SUMMERTIME AND THE HARVESTS ARE EASY

The long summer days are a time to enjoy and Stephanie Haffert is making the most of harvesting fruit and sowing late crops

Keeping it in the family

Rachel Dunn from Somerset has an allotment in the village where she lives. Her 13-year-old daughter was so inspired she took on a plot too

DOWN TO EARTH, FLYING HIGH!

Former air hostess and mother of two young girls posie and Winnie,August Hudson just excuses enthusiasm as she explains why she and her family love gardening

DOWN TO EARTH PROJECT STATRS UP

Elaine Crick, one of Radio Derby’s Potty Plotters, meets an enthusiastic newbie to the Ashbourne Road Allotments

A passion for fruit

This month David Patch introduces one of the more unusual edibles you can grow-passion fruit,which has its original in South America but with care can also be grown in the UK

Timing is everything

You can sow late if the weather is on your side, says Peter

The challenging garden

Gardening against the odds hasn’t stopped Norah Dunn from creating a beautiful and wildlife-friendly space close to the Wiltshire/Hampshire border, as Sue Bradley finds out

Perfect imperfections

Don’t be tempted to do too much in the garden, says Toby. Some things are improved by being flawed and a little wild