Bulbs for turf

Brighten lawns, rough grass and meadows with spring flowers. The best ones will push through the grasses to flower year after year

Top Ten Echinaceas

With their big, bold daisy flowers in a range of colours, echinaceas are ideal hardy perennials for meadows, beds, borders and cutting

Sitting pretty

Toby considers the refreshing delights of ant baths that garden birds use to help keep themselves clean

Success with Peruvian lilies

Christopher Lloyd explains how to care for Alstroemeria ligtu hybrids

Gentians on the rocks

Gentians are among the most attractive of rock-garden plants, says Will Ingwersen

Top Ten Buddlejas

If you want a shrub with beautiful flowers that attracts bountiful butterflies choose the butterfly bush, says Graham Rice

Plant your own Black beauties

Whether deep purple, wine red or chocolate, a few plants with dark flowers and foliage can totally transform tired borders, taking them from staid to stylish, says Hazel Sillver

Enjoy Japanese anemones

For beautiful late-flowering perennials that light up shadier areas of your borders, choose Japanese anemones to take your garden into autumn, says Camilla Phelps

Focus on... Growing figs

Fancy a crop with unique ornamental appeal as well as delicious, prolific fruits? Just one year and a south-facing wall is all it takes for figgy delights, says Lucy

Climate chaos

Val looks at the effect climate change is having on birds

Happy harvests

Knowing when to gather crops makes all the difference to taste. Here's to harvests with a smile, says Bob

Wafting into the autumn

Tall verbenas are a worthwhile addition, says Ruth

Saving seeds for next year

Ruth saves money by harvesting homegrown seeds

Project Peat-Free update

So far so good, as flowers and crops benefit, says Ruth

It's been a fruitful week!

Ruth has been propagating and pruning her fruit stock

Keeping lavender in shape

A late summer trim after flowering will keep plants shapely

A final summertime trim

Ruth tidies up her grapevine, trees and wayward shrubs

Newt sensations

Given all the things he’s lost in his garden, Toby is pleased to discover something as precious as his new pond visitor

Dealing with drought

Steve and Val Bradley explain how to plan ahead to help our plants cope with the hot, dry conditions that are becoming more commonplace

Top Ten Best lilies

With thousands of varieties to choose from, lilies provide a range of flower colours, some with scented blooms

Easy plants for a No-fuss August garden

Want to spend less time watering and more time relaxing in a deckchair this month? Resilient, low-maintenance border plants are the answer

Winter Greens

Make the most of the warmth of August to start sowing vegetable seeds and planting seed potatoes to harvest in the months to come

Meadows fit for a king

Val looks at the value of meadows to all kinds of wildlife

Know your onions

Get the most out of your ready-to-harvest onions, and sow some more now for next spring

Sow some prairie beauties

Echinaceas are a must-have perennial

How to get the best toms

Pruning, watering and feeding are essential

Time for the second shift

Ruth clears early summer plants for later varieties

Post-holiday action plan

Prioritise what will keep your garden on track

Not such prickly customers

Cacti and succulents are easy-going to grow and care for

Houseplants inside and out

Regular care will keep them happy all summer