Aster Yellows

Zinnias are nothing if not versatile, says Tom Brown, Head Gardener at Parham House & Garden. For those seeking plants with relentless flower power, bedding types such as Zinnia ‘Sahara Sunburst’, once established, will provide gorgeous colour right through to the first frosts. For all aspiring domestic gods and goddesses, taller zinnia cultivars make excellent cut flowers and are equally at home in a minimalistic, modern vase on a kitchen table as they are in an opulent m

While dramatic, floriferous plants such as roses, dahlias and clematis are widely celebrated by gardeners, others are overlooked or under-valued. You may simply not like these plants, or think suitable only for supermarket car parks, gaudy bedding displays or the walls of an abandoned warehouse. Yet some of these plants, used properly, can have real value in the garden. They might provide a source of pollen and nectar for wildlife, for example, or they might have architectural value at a

Most gardeners are familiar with invasive weeds, such as dandelions and nettles, which we do our best to control in the garden. But some ornamental plants have the potential to grow out of control, too, which can out-compete plants growing nearby. You may be familiar with the worst offenders, including Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and Rhododendron ponticum. These are so invasive that there there are now laws in place to limit their spread into the wild, where they can damage local

Lifting and dividing perennial plants is an easy way to get new plants for free to fill any gaps in your borders, and it’s a great way to rejuvenate tired perennials that are no longer performing as well as they used to. Spring and autumn are the ideal times to lift and divide many perennial plants. And if you’re planning to buy new plants, many can be divided before they’re planted out, to give you several plants for the price of one. Plants you can divide include hardy geraniums, host