Learn to love the dim and shadowy corners of your plot – without the harsh glare of the sun’s spotlight, you can build an environment rich in texture, gentle colour and seasonal interest

Our experts will help you get the best from your garden

To hide my new garden’s nakedness, I planted trees. Damson and mirabelle plum, ‘Discovery’ and reinette apples, two pears, a quince and a ‘Nottingham’ medlar. There was a purple-leaved filbert, a ‘Che

Purple punctuates the planting: here an acer, verbena and some pinky-purple crinum, or swamp lily, stand out

Some of our best garden plants are climbers. I grow many including clematis and roses, along with annuals such as sweet peas, and they all produce masses of colour – so why would you not fill your gar

John Massey’s Ashwood Nurseries has been breeding superb hellebores for the past 35 years, and they are acknowledged to be the best in the world. It all began because John was looking for winter work