Giant leeks and pumpkins the size of a small car can give impression that there is something slightly comical about competitive fruit and vegetable growing. But those who take part in this cherished B

‘ Her dream house was surrounded by gardens: a berry garden, an apricot garden, a cherry garden, a persimmon garden, a potato garden, a vegetable garden and a huge compost.” Ana Roš, a passionate rock

Step into a magical winter garden in the Weald of Kent, where cyclamens, hellebores and crocuses add splashes of pink and purple to the white carpet of snowdrops

Spindly to splendid These are my ‘Earthwalker’ sunflowers ...

Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ Forgive me please because I have, in my youth, been a bit sneery about mahonias. I recognise that this was a mistake as they have an awful lot in their favour: colour at a

COLOUR IN THE GARDEN : STYLISH IDEAS FOR YEAR-ROUND COLOUR by Lucy Bellamy Mitchell Beazley, £25 ISBN 978-1784729349 ‘I am hungry for colour. I want jam red and acid yellow, violet blue and caterpilla