How to create a snowdrop vase

This pretty pot combines daffodils, bellis daisies and polyanthus – all readily available at the garden centre in spring. Daffodils such as ‘Jetfire’ trumpet the arrival of spring just as well in pots and containers as they do in borders and grassy banks. A palette of golds, cherry-reds and pinks creates a heart-warming display. Simply deadhead to keep the display tidy. Apart from the bellis daisies, all the plants will come back every year and can be planted in the garden once flowering has f

Topiary is the term used to describe the pruning of plants to create bold shapes that have been popular since Roman times. These can be simple balls, cubes or pyramids, or complex lollipop trees, even shaped like chickens. Smaller topiary looks great in containers or borders, where clipped evergreens make a sharp contrast to colourful informal planting, in pairs to flank paths or gates, and as focal points. Box and yew are classic topiary plants: small-leaved, they respond well to shaping and

Keeping your shears sharp and well oiled means that they will be easier to use and have a longer life. In addition, the sharper the blade, the cleaner the cut, which results in a neater finish and fewer chances of disease getting into the cut and therefore the plant. Here’s how to maintain your shears in three easy steps. You Will

Chicory is a bitter-tasting, leafy vegetable. There are three different types: ‘forcing’ chicory, red chicory or radicchio and ‘non-forcing’ chicory. To force chicory you need a ‘forcing’ chicory, such as ‘Witloof’. To produce pale, crisp heads of tightly packed leaves, chicory needs to be forced into growth with the light excluded. This will also prevent them from tasting bitter. Forcing can be done in situ in the garden in early spring, but for winter harvests, lift the plants in autumn and