15 minute read
Midday watering burns leaves, evening watering breeds disease, and “drought tolerant” means a plant likes it dry. Put to the test, not one of these holds up as stated. Here, the evidence is sorted into what works, what helps a little and what to stop doing,

4 minute read
Sedum got a new name, a makeover and a fan club. ‘Autumn Joy’ and ‘Matrona’ still rule the back of the border, but a wave of compact, colourful hylotelephiums is moving in up front. Here’s how to keep them upright, where they’ll survive winter, and why

5 minute read
Every variety in the seed catalogue exists because someone saved its seed. Here’s how to join them: which crops come true from seed, which ones cross with the neighbours, and how to dry, ferment and store seed so it actually germinates next spring. Also, why seedless

8 minute read
Free shrubs are hiding in your shrub border. With sharp secateurs, a pot of clean mix and a little patience, you can turn dogwood, ninebark and spirea snippets into new plants. Here’s how to choose cuttings, keep them alive while they root, and decide when they’re

5 minute read
Hügelkultur turns a heap of logs into a raised bed, and the internet swears it’s magic. Soil scientists are less sure, mostly because they’ve barely studied it. Find out what decomposing wood can and can’t do, why it may leave your plants short of nitrogen at

6 minute read
When the leaves drop and the garden goes quiet, bark gets its turn in the spotlight. Meet a dozen trees and shrubs with peeling, glowing, striped or muscled bark, from Prairie-tough dogwoods to coral-bark maples for milder gardens, plus the pruning trick that keeps winter colour