Shirley Lanigan writes that this year we are enjoying a proper, old-fashioned spring after a lean and cold winterFor reasons too numerous to count, we really do deserve a glorious spring for 2009. And because it has been hard won from out of the maw of the first proper winter in a long time, this [...]

Shirley Lanigan writes that the fragile-looking snowdrop will brighten up any winter garden and happily multiply to form a ‘snowdrift’ for future years. These are lean times in the garden. Waiting for spring to be sprung can be a bit of a bore, and growth will probably arrive later this year than it did over [...]

Shirley Lanigan explains how you can use hedging to give structure and balance to a garden while also making the outdoor space a place that invites the visitor to sit, lie and loll. Gardens, in common with people, share a single rule: the best examples always have good bone structure. We can do what we [...]

Shirley Lanigan writes that sometimes, the old ways are the best when it comes to preparing for winter in the garden. Things change. When it comes to rearing children, our parents were told to put them to bed and let them bawl. It was tough love. Later on, we were informed that leaving babies cry [...]

At the tail end of the second miserable summer in a row, we hope that we might be delivered into a glorious Indian summer or even a vaguely decent one, where we can have evening barbeques in green, scent-filled garden surroundings. But balmy weather – if it were ever to show – would only be [...]

Shirley Lanigan suggests that the budding gardener can learn a lot by visiting other gardens this summer – both the large show gardens and the smaller efforts made possible by dedication There are so many jobs we need to – and, it goes without saying, want to do – in our gardens throughout the summer. [...]

Shirley Lanigan offers advice on the best way to go about creating an herbaceous border and how to select the right plants to ensure an impressive display of colour — all through summer and even into autumn. In the last article, I wrote about the reasons why people garden. The final verdict was that we [...]