Guides / Garden plants
Garden plants
Trees, shrubs, climbers and border perennials for a temperate garden. Each guide covers what the plant needs through the year, the problems that turn up, and whether it is safe around children and pets.
A
Ash
Fraxinus excelsior
How to identify ash, Fraxinus excelsior. The black winter buds, ash dieback and what it means for your tree, and whether to fell or wait.
Astilbe
Astilbe x arendsii
How to grow astilbe, Astilbe x arendsii. The perennial for damp shade, why it browns and dies in dry soil, and whether to leave the seed heads through winter.
B
Beech
Fagus sylvatica
How to grow beech, Fagus sylvatica. Planting a bare-root hedge, the single August trim, why a clipped beech keeps its copper leaves all winter, and beech bark disease.
Black Bamboo
Phyllostachys nigra
How to grow black bamboo. Why a running bamboo needs a barrier before it needs anything else, how to install one properly, the legal risk of letting it spread, and how the canes turn black.
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida
How to grow rudbeckia, Rudbeckia fulgida. Black-eyed Susan for late summer, the difference between the perennial and the annual sorts, and leaving the seed heads for birds.
Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa
How to grow blackthorn, Prunus spinosa. Blossom on bare stems before hawthorn, picking sloes for gin, planting a stockproof hedge and controlling the suckers.
Bloody cranesbill
Geranium sanguineum
How to grow Geranium sanguineum. A native hardy geranium for hot dry ground, the shear that brings a second flush, and telling a true geranium from a pelargonium.
Blue passion flower
Passiflora caerulea
How to grow blue passion flower, Passiflora caerulea. The extraordinary flower explained, whether the orange fruit is safe, and cutting it back after a hard winter.
Bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
How to grow English bluebells, Hyacinthoides non-scripta. Telling them from the Spanish invader, planting in the green, and why you must never cut the leaves.
Border phlox
Phlox paniculata
How to grow border phlox, Phlox paniculata. Scented heads through August, beating powdery mildew by thinning the stems, and the eelworm that kills whole clumps.
Bracken
Pteridium aquilinum
How to identify and control bracken, Pteridium aquilinum. The commonest fern in the world, the carcinogen in the spores, and why bruising the fronds is the trick.
Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii
How to grow buddleja, Buddleja davidii. The hard March prune that keeps it flowering at eye level, deadheading to stop it seeding across the neighbourhood, and why it feeds butterflies but not caterpillars.
C
Cabbage Tree
Cordyline australis
How to grow cabbage palm, Cordyline australis. Why it is not a palm, tying the leaves up for winter, what to do when the trunk rots after a hard frost and how it regrows from the base.
Calla Lily
Zantedeschia aethiopica
How to grow Zantedeschia aethiopica. Why it will grow in standing water when its coloured cousins rot, how to get it through a British winter, and why it is not a lily.
Camellia
Camellia japonica
How to grow camellias, Camellia japonica. Why an east-facing wall ruins the flowers, what causes bud drop, keeping the soil acid, and treating petal blight.
Carnation
Dianthus caryophyllus
How to grow Dianthus caryophyllus. The clove scent breeding lost and how to get it back, why the stems snap at the joints, and the difference between border and perpetual types.
Catmint
Nepeta x faassenii
How to grow catmint, Nepeta x faassenii. The long-flowering edging plant for dry sun, why cats roll on it, and cutting it back for a second flush.
Century Plant
Agave americana
How to grow the century plant. Why it flowers once and dies, why the sap is a serious irritant, how to overwinter it in a wet British climate, and what to do with the pups.
Cherry laurel
Prunus laurocerasus
How to grow Prunus laurocerasus. Pruning with secateurs rather than shears, treating shot hole, disposing of clippings safely, and why it must never be confused with bay.
Chinese peony
Paeonia lactiflora
How to grow peony, Paeonia lactiflora. Why planting it too deep stops it flowering, how to support the heavy heads, and the ants that are not a problem.
Chinese Wisteria
Wisteria sinensis
How to grow Wisteria sinensis. The two-stage prune that produces flowers, why a seedling may never bloom in your lifetime, which way the stems twine, and where it is a listed invasive.
Christmas Rose
Helleborus niger
How to grow the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger. Planting, soil, when to cut the old leaves, the diseases to watch for, and why it rarely flowers at Christmas.
Cleavers
Galium aparine
How to identify and control cleavers, Galium aparine. The sticky annual that climbs everything, why hoeing in March is the whole job, and eating the young shoots.
Clematis montana
Clematis montana
How to grow Clematis montana. Why it belongs in pruning group one, the size it reaches, why it shrugs off clematis wilt, and why hard renovation can kill it.
Columbine
Aquilegia vulgaris
How to grow aquilegia, Aquilegia vulgaris. Granny's bonnets that seed themselves everywhere, why named cultivars never stay true, and cutting back for fresh foliage.
Common Bamboo
Bambusa vulgaris
How to grow Bambusa vulgaris. The tropical clumping bamboo behind most of the world's bamboo construction, why it will not survive a British winter outdoors, and what to grow instead.
Common heather
Calluna vulgaris
How to grow heather, Calluna vulgaris. Why it needs acid soil and rainwater, when to shear it, and the difference between ling and the winter-flowering ericas.
Common honeysuckle
Lonicera periclymenum
How to grow honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum. Scent at dusk for the moths, keeping the roots cool and the top in sun, and beating the aphids and mildew.
Common Houseleek
Sempervivum tectorum
How to grow Sempervivum tectorum, the common houseleek. Why the parent rosette dies after flowering, why it survives winters that kill echeveria, and how to grow it on a roof.
Common Jasmine
Jasminum officinale
How to grow Jasminum officinale. Why it saves its scent for the evening, the warm wall it needs in Britain, when to prune it, and the three unrelated plants sold under the same name.
Common lime
Tilia europaea
How to grow common lime, Tilia europaea. Why it drips sticky honeydew onto everything below, how to pleach it, and the July blossom that scents a whole street.
Common poppy
Papaver rhoeas
How to grow common poppy, Papaver rhoeas. The cornfield poppy of Remembrance, why it only appears on disturbed soil, and sowing it so it comes back every year.
Common rhododendron
Rhododendron ponticum
How to recognise Rhododendron ponticum, why it sterilises woodland, telling it from garden rhododendrons, removing it, and the honey that poisoned an army.
Coral bells
Heuchera americana
How to grow heuchera, Heuchera americana. Coloured foliage for shade all year, why the crown lifts out of the ground, and dealing with vine weevil.
Cow Parsley
Anthriscus sylvestris
How to identify cow parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris. The plain green downy stem that separates it from hemlock, when it flowers, growing it in a wild garden and keeping it in check.
D
Damask Rose
Rosa damascena
How to grow the damask rose, Rosa damascena. Pruning a once-flowering old rose, the difference between summer and autumn damasks, and where rose oil comes from.
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
How to identify, use and control dandelion, Taraxacum officinale. The taproot that regrows from a fragment, why bees need it in April, and eating the leaves and roots.
Deadly nightshade
Atropa belladonna
How to recognise Atropa belladonna, telling its berries from the harmless lookalikes, what to do if a child eats one, and why it is still grown as a crop.
Delphinium
Delphinium elatum
How to grow delphinium, Delphinium elatum. Staking the spires before they need it, keeping slugs off the spring shoots, and the toxicity that has killed livestock.
Dog rose
Rosa canina
How to grow dog rose, Rosa canina. The wild hedgerow rose, picking hips for syrup, why the seed hairs were used as itching powder, and its role as a rootstock.
Dwarf iris
Iris reticulata
How to grow Iris reticulata. Planting deep enough to stop the bulbs splitting, keeping them dry in summer, and why a brilliant first year is so often followed by grass.
E
English Holly
Ilex aquifolium
How to grow English holly, Ilex aquifolium. Planting, clipping, hedging, why your holly has no berries, and how poisonous those berries are.
English Ivy
Hedera helix
How to grow Hedera helix. Whether it damages walls, the two completely different forms one plant takes, why it feeds bees in November, and where it is a banned weed.
English Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
How to grow English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia. Drainage, the pruning cut that keeps it alive, telling it apart from lavandin, and why it is toxic to cats and dogs.
English Oak
Quercus robur
How to identify and grow Quercus robur. The one check that separates it from sessile oak, why it supports more wildlife than any other British tree, and why acorns kill horses.
English Yew
Taxus baccata
How to grow Taxus baccata. The one conifer that regrows from bare wood, why clippings kill horses, what the red berries are, and how it reaches two thousand years.
F
Field horsetail
Equisetum arvense
How to identify and control horsetail, Equisetum arvense. The prehistoric weed with roots two metres deep, why weedkillers slide off it, and what does help.
Firethorn
Pyracantha coccinea
How to grow pyracantha, Pyracantha coccinea. Firethorn berries for autumn colour, training it flat against a wall, and living with thorns that puncture rather than scratch.
Florist's Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum x morifolium
How to grow chrysanthemums, Chrysanthemum x morifolium. Pinching for bushy plants, disbudding for large blooms, overwintering the stools, and the day length that sets the buds.
Florist's Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum
How to grow florist's cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum. Why central heating kills it, watering from below, summer dormancy, and the danger in the tuber.
Forsythia
Forsythia intermedia
How to grow forsythia, Forsythia x intermedia. Pruning straight after flowering, renewing a leggy bush, stopping bullfinches stripping the buds, and taking free cuttings.
Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
How to grow Digitalis purpurea. Why it flowers in its second year and then dies, how to keep a colony going, the plant it is dangerously confused with, and the drug it gave us.
French Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
How to grow bigleaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea macrophylla. The soil chemistry behind blue and pink, why spring pruning costs you the flowers, and the difference between mopheads and lacecaps.
G
Garden Dahlia
Dahlia pinnata
How to grow dahlias, Dahlia pinnata. Starting tubers, staking, deadheading the right buds, protecting shoots from slugs, and whether to lift for winter.
Garden privet
Ligustrum ovalifolium
How to grow privet, Ligustrum ovalifolium. The suburban hedge that takes any abuse, when to cut it, why the berries are poisonous, and its reputation for starving a border.
Garden Tulip
Tulipa gesneriana
How to grow garden tulips, Tulipa gesneriana. Why they go in late, how deep to plant, why the second year disappoints, and how to spot tulip fire before it spreads.
Giant hogweed
Heracleum mantegazzianum
How to recognise Heracleum mantegazzianum, tell it from common hogweed and cow parsley, remove it safely, and what to do if the sap gets on your skin.
Grape hyacinth
Muscari armeniacum
How to grow grape hyacinths, Muscari armeniacum. Planting depth, why the leaves appear in autumn and look untidy all winter, and how to stop it taking over.
Ground elder
Aegopodium podagraria
How to identify and control ground elder, Aegopodium podagraria. The Roman import that never leaves, why forking it spreads it, and the one method that works.
Guelder rose
Viburnum opulus
How to grow guelder rose, Viburnum opulus. Lacecap flowers in May, translucent red berries in autumn, and why it thrives in the wet ground that kills other shrubs.
H
Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
How to grow hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna. Planting a bare-root hedge, the trimming that thickens it, laying an old one, May blossom and the haws that follow.
Hazel
Corylus avellana
How to grow hazel, Corylus avellana. Coppicing on a seven-year cycle, planting two for a crop of cobnuts, the catkins in February, and losing the lot to squirrels.
Hedge bindweed
Calystegia sepium
How to identify and control hedge bindweed, Calystegia sepium. Why digging makes it worse, the glyphosate cane trick, and telling it from field bindweed.
Hemlock
Conium maculatum
How to identify hemlock, Conium maculatum. The purple-blotched stem, the mousy smell, how it differs from cow parsley and hogweed, and what to do if anyone has eaten it.
Hemlock Water-Dropwort
Oenanthe crocata
How to identify hemlock water-dropwort, Oenanthe crocata. Britain's most poisonous plant, the parsnip-like root tubers, why dogs die of it after floods and how it differs from watercress and celery.
Himalayan balsam
Impatiens glandulifera
How to recognise Impatiens glandulifera, why it takes over riverbanks, pulling it before it seeds, and the legal duties that come with having it on your land.
Hogweed
Heracleum sphondylium
How to identify common hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium. Telling it from giant hogweed, why its sap can still blister skin in sunlight, and its value to pollinators.
Hornbeam
Carpinus betulus
How to grow hornbeam, Carpinus betulus. The hedge that holds its leaves all winter and takes wet clay where beech fails, when to cut it, and how to tell the two apart.
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
How to grow horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum. Conkers, why the leaves go brown every August, bleeding canker, and why a conker is not a sweet chestnut.
Hosta
Hosta sieboldiana
How to grow hosta, Hosta sieboldiana. Why a thick blue leaf survives slugs when a thin green one does not, growing them in pots, dividing in spring and the shade they want.
I
Italian leather flower
Clematis viticella
How to grow Clematis viticella. The group that resists clematis wilt, why pruning it is the simplest job in the garden, and growing it through a shrub.
Ivy-leaved cyclamen
Cyclamen hederifolium
How to grow hardy cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium. Flowers before the leaves in September, the dry shade it thrives in, and buying tubers the right way up.
J
Japanese anemone
Anemone hupehensis
How to grow Anemone hupehensis. Late summer flowers for shade, why it sulks for a year and then runs, and how to get it out of a border once it has spread.
Japanese box
Buxus microphylla
How to grow Buxus microphylla. The blight-resistant box, clipping without spreading disease, spotting box tree caterpillar, and the alternatives worth considering.
Japanese holly
Ilex crenata
How to grow Japanese holly, Ilex crenata. The box substitute that resists box blight and box tree moth, how to clip it, and why it needs acid soil.
Japanese knotweed
Reynoutria japonica
How to recognise Reynoutria japonica, tell it from its lookalikes, treat it over several seasons, and the legal duties that come with having it on your land.
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
How to grow Acer palmatum. Shelter from wind, why leaf scorch is not a disease, verticillium wilt, and the maple that is dangerous to horses.
Japanese pieris
Pieris japonica
How to grow pieris, Pieris japonica. Scarlet new growth in spring, why frost and chalk both ruin it, and the grayanotoxins that make it dangerous to livestock.
Japanese rose
Rosa rugosa
How to grow rugosa rose, Rosa rugosa. The best rose for salt wind and sand, tomato-sized hips you can eat, and why it is now controlled as an invasive species.
Japanese skimmia
Skimmia japonica
How to grow skimmia, Skimmia japonica. Why you need a male and a female plant for berries, the yellowing that means the wrong soil, and its use in winter containers.
L
Lady's mantle
Alchemilla mollis
How to grow Alchemilla mollis. The leaves that hold water like mercury, cutting back for a second flush, and staying ahead of the seedlings it scatters everywhere.
Laurustinus
Viburnum tinus
How to grow laurustinus, Viburnum tinus. Winter flowering, clipping it as a hedge, dealing with viburnum beetle, and the blue-black berries that follow.
Leatherleaf mahonia
Mahonia bealei
How to grow mahonia, Mahonia bealei. Scented yellow flowers in the middle of winter, blue berries for jelly, and where to put a plant with spines like holly.
Lilac
Syringa vulgaris
How to grow lilac, Syringa vulgaris. Deadheading straight after flowering, why a shaded lilac never blooms, dealing with suckers, and renovating an old leggy bush.
Lily of the valley
Convallaria majalis
How to grow Convallaria majalis. Planting the pips, giving it the dry shade it wants, keeping it in bounds, and telling it from wild garlic before anyone eats it.
Lords-And-Ladies
Arum maculatum
How to identify lords and ladies, Arum maculatum. The orange berry spike children eat, the burning mouth it causes, and how to tell it from wild garlic in spring.
M
Meadow Saffron
Colchicum autumnale
How to grow autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale. The leafless autumn flowers, why it is not saffron, the colchicine that makes it lethal and how it differs from a true crocus.
Mexican Orange
Choisya ternata
How to grow Mexican orange blossom, Choisya ternata. The trifoliate leaves that identify it, twice-yearly flowering, why it sulks in cold wind and the pruning that gets a second flush.
Mistletoe
Viscum album
How to grow mistletoe, Viscum album. Squeezing berries into apple bark in February, why bought sprigs never take, the trees it will accept and how toxic the berries are.
Mock Orange
Philadelphus coronarius
How to grow mock orange, Philadelphus coronarius. The scent, the one-in-three pruning cut that keeps it flowering, and why cutting it in winter removes every bloom.
Monkshood
Aconitum napellus
How to grow Aconitum napellus, the most poisonous plant in British gardens. Handling it safely, dividing it in gloves, staking the stems, and why the root is the danger.
Montbretia
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora
How to grow crocosmia, Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora. Arching sprays of orange in late summer, dividing congested corms, and why montbretia escapes into the countryside.
O
Oleander
Nerium oleander
How to grow oleander, Nerium oleander. Overwintering it in a British conservatory, pruning after flowering, and why it is among the most poisonous plants sold in Europe.
Oriental poppy
Papaver orientale
How to grow oriental poppy, Papaver orientale. Huge silk flowers in May, what to do with the gap it leaves in July, and propagating from root cuttings.
P
Pampas grass
Cortaderia selloana
How to grow pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana. Cutting it back without shredding your hands, why male plants have no plumes, and its invasive record abroad.
Perennial ryegrass
Lolium perenne
How to grow perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne. The grass in almost every British lawn, choosing a hard-wearing cultivar, and overseeding worn patches.
Photinia
Photinia fraseri
How to grow Photinia x fraseri. Clipping to force the red flush, treating the leaf spot that defoliates it, why chalk turns it yellow, and disposing of the clippings safely.
Primrose
Primula vulgaris
How to grow the native primrose, Primula vulgaris. Planting, dividing, pin and thrum flowers, and which primulas cause a rash.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
How to grow Echinacea purpurea. Why it hates being moved, leaving the seed heads for goldfinches, keeping stems upright without staking, and why year one disappoints.
R
Ragwort
Jacobaea vulgaris
How to identify common ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris. The law that applies to it, why it kills horses through cumulative liver damage, safe removal and why dried ragwort in hay is worse than the living plant.
Regal lily
Lilium regale
How to grow Lilium regale. Planting deep for the stem roots, growing it on chalk, controlling lily beetle, and why every lily is lethal to cats.
Rowan
Sorbus aucuparia
How to grow rowan, Sorbus aucuparia. The best small tree for a British garden, berries for birds from August, and why it suits cold exposed places nothing else will.
Russell lupin
Lupinus polyphyllus
How to grow lupin, Lupinus polyphyllus. Cutting back for a second flush, why lupin aphid arrived and what it does, and the seeds that poison livestock.
Russian vine
Fallopia baldschuanica
How to grow Russian vine, Fallopia baldschuanica. The mile-a-minute plant, what it will and will not do to a building, and how to get rid of one.
S
Saucer magnolia
Magnolia x soulangeana
How to grow saucer magnolia, Magnolia x soulangeana. Goblet flowers on bare wood in April, why frost ruins them, and where to plant one so it does not happen.
Scots pine
Pinus sylvestris
How to grow Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris. Britain's only native pine, the orange upper bark that identifies it, and why it suits poor sandy soil that defeats other trees.
Silver Birch
Betula pendula
How to grow Betula pendula. Why a short-lived tree is the right choice for a small garden, what the black diamonds on the bark are, the root system to plan around, and tapping the sap.
Snake's head fritillary
Fritillaria meleagris
How to grow Fritillaria meleagris. Planting the fragile bulbs on their side, naturalising in damp grass, when to cut, and the lily beetle that strips them.
Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis
How to grow snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis. Why to plant them in the green, how to divide a clump, and how poisonous the bulbs are.
Spindle
Euonymus europaeus
How to grow spindle, Euonymus europaeus. The pink capsules and orange seeds that make it the brightest native shrub in autumn, its value to wildlife, and why the fruit must not be eaten.
Spring Crocus
Crocus vernus
How to plant and naturalise spring crocuses. Planting depth, why the leaves must stay, why sparrows shred the yellow ones, and how to tell them from the dangerous autumn crocus.
Star jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides
How to grow star jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides. Evergreen scent for a sheltered wall, why it bronzes in winter, and whether it is hardy where you live.
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
How to grow sunflowers, Helianthus annuus. Sowing, staking, why young plants follow the sun and mature ones face east, and the spirals in the seed head.
Sweet Violet
Viola odorata
How to grow sweet violets, Viola odorata. Shade, spreading by runners, the hidden flowers that set the seed, and why the scent seems to vanish.
Sycamore
Acer pseudoplatanus
How to identify sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus. Telling it from field maple and Norway maple, the seedlings that kill horses through atypical myopathy, and managing it in a garden.
W
Wall Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster horizontalis
How to grow wall cotoneaster, Cotoneaster horizontalis. The herringbone branching that identifies it, training it flat against a wall, berries for birds and the law on planting it in the wild.
Wild Daffodil
Narcissus pseudonarcissus
How to grow and naturalise wild daffodils, Narcissus pseudonarcissus. Planting depth, why the leaves must be left alone, the sap that kills other cut flowers, and why the bulbs are dangerous.
Winter aconite
Eranthis hyemalis
How to grow winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis. Yellow cups in February, why dry tubers rarely establish, and planting it in the green instead.
Winter Jasmine
Jasminum nudiflorum
How to grow winter jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum. Flowers on bare stems in January, pruning straight after flowering, training a scrambler, and why it has no scent.
Witch hazel
Hamamelis mollis
How to grow witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis. Why the graft matters, spotting rootstock suckers before they take over, the soil it needs, and why the flowers survive frost.
Wood anemone
Anemone nemorosa
How to grow wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa. The ancient woodland indicator, why it spreads a few feet per century, and planting it in the green.
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