As the long nights shorten, Mounton House garden quietly emerges from winter with delicate sprinklings of white narcissi, Scilla siberica and crocuses through the lawns. Daphnes fill the air with frag

REAL readers' gardens!

The country’s Cape Floral Kingdom has incredible bloom diversity with around 9,000 species – and some make spectacular plants for our British gardens

REAL readers' gardens! Pruning roses A plant-packed suburban ...

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

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