What are oak gall wasps? Oaks, especially the native species Quercus robur and Q. petraea are the host plants for more than 70 species of cynipid gall wasp. It is the larval stage of these insects ...

The prestigious RHS Medals and Awards are handed out as the Show opens. Take a tour of the gardens and see if you agree with ...

Malvern Autumn Show celebrates the best of the harvest with fruit & veg competitions, awards for vintage dress, cake bakes ...

Fennel is a large attractive plant with soft feathery leaves and tall stems topped with flat clusters of tiny yellow flowers in summer. The leaves, flowers and seeds have an aniseed flavour and aroma ...

A bushy, spreading evergreen sub-shrub to 75cm tall, with very aromatic, finely veined, grey-green, oblong leaves to 6cm long and 2.5cm wide and short spikes of pale blue flowers in early summer.

Lettuces are quick and easy to grow, and come in many colours, flavours and textures – your salads need never be boring! Choose from large hearting lettuces to loose-leaf types and salad-leaf mixes ...

Some hardy palms will survive winters in much of lowland Britain in sheltered gardens with favourable local conditions. However, plants that are in exposed positions, in containers or wet at the roots ...

Most vegetable gardens can accommodate winter crops. Some vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, take up a lot of space for a long time but are still well-worth the investment. Choose an open site with ...

A productive greenhouse can be in use for most of the year. Heated greenhouses allow for maximum, year-round use but are rarely cost effective. When growing in greenhouse borders, reduce the build-up ...

L. angustifolia is a bushy shrub with strongly aromatic silvery or grey-green leaves and dense flower spikes of fragrant flowers. Cultivars in shades of purple to blue, pink and white, flower from ...

Grown for its spicy, pungent leaves, oregano is a sun-loving Mediterranean herb. Easy to grow, compact and drought tolerant, it thrives in pots or in the ground. It’s widely used in Italian and Greek ...

A generally easy-to-grow cottage garden favourite, with a few species that are best suited to rock and woodland gardens. Columbines bear dainty flowers in a wide colour range in late spring and early ...