BBC Gardeners' World

five days of spectacular scenery as you explore the Scottish Highlands by rail, from just £815pp – see p79 for details with our latest special edition, full of beautiful, easy-to-make Christmas projects inspired by nature. Treat yourself or give it a

Although I love all the issues of GW we produce through the year, the November edition, when we reveal the winners of our Gardens of the Year competition, is a particular favourite. It’s the culmination of months of work – from launching the competit

Parthenocissus tricuspidata The whole northern side of my house in Oxfordshire is covered with this climber. It is very vigorous and spends much of the summer trying very hard to block the gutters and insinuate itself between the slates on the roof a

These tall, elegant grasses reach their peak at this time of year, with silky plumes swaying above a fountain of arching, rustling foliage that matures to various shades of soft yellow, beige and copper. There are many miscanthus to choose from, but

For more offers and details on how to order, see opposite page Fill your garden with beautiful blooms and fabulous fragrance with these gorgeous patio shrubs, perfect for small gardens and containers. Plant by a doorway or seating area, where you can

I have enjoyed gardening for most of my married life and as our children came along, I always tried to interest them in this fulfilling pursuit. As I am sure many other parents will appreciate, my efforts were not always fruitful. My boys are now gro

East Lambrook Manor, former home of garden writer and plants woman Margery Fish, has been put up for sale. The listed Grade I cottage garden in Somerset became famous in the 1940s and 50s through Margery’s classic book, We Made a Garden, in which she

Bird lovers are bracing themselves for another heartbreaking winter of bird losses as the world’s worst bird flu epidemic shows no signs of abating. The current wave of bird flu is now in its third year, and millions of birds have already died – more

The Palm House at Kew Gardens, in south-west London, has been described by Sir David Attenborough as ‘a living laboratory’. With spectacular rainforest plants from around the world, it also offers a tropical escape from the chills of winter. There ar

Add some fizz to your outdoor space with these sherbet-inspired shades. The phormium creates a striking focal point with its fountain of foliage, while beneath it the heucheras and heucherellas provide winter-long foliage colour when flowers are scar

Making your own compost isn’t exactly rocket science, but it is important to get the mix correct. Aim for about half of the ingredients to be soft, green materials – grass clippings, annual weeds, nettles, fruit peelings and vegetable kitchen waste –

Close your eyes and picture a colourful garden in pots – one in which there’s always something to catch the eye, where the fresh brights of spring give way to summer’s rich, jewel-like colours and autumn’s rusty tones give way to winter’s small, vibr

Happy new year! No, I haven’t got my seasons muddled. It’s just that what we tend to think of as the end of the gardening year – autumn, easing into winter – is, from a gardener’s point of view, really the start of the new season. There are things to

Apples, pears, plums and damsons can all be planted now. If you’re only planting one tree, choose a variety that’s self-fertile (it can set fruit with its own pollen). Check the vigour of the rootstock onto which the variety is grafted, so the tree g

Hydrangeas are easy to plant and will settle in well at this time of year, as the ground is still warm and damp. Most hydrangeas like dappled shade and moist but free-draining soil. Here I’m planting H. paniculata ‘Limelight’. 1 Water your plant well

There’s still time to plant a wide array of bulbs for both winter displays indoors and spring cheer outdoors in borders and containers. Choose from Farmer Gracy’s full range and enjoy free postage, saving £4.99. Here’s a selection of colourful favour

It’s time to reveal our Judges’ Choice winner from our 2023 Gardens of the Year competition. And that’s not all – next month, we’ll unveil the Highly Commended garden, and in January we’ll share who GW readers select as their People’s Choice, so vote

When Clive moved into his home in 2005, there was no garden, just a makeshift extension that the previous owners had used as a living room. But Clive, who has gardened since he was a boy, was keen to create an outdoor space, removing the corrugated p

◼ The winner of the Judges’ Choice award, Clive Johnson-Cooper, wins a holiday for two in South Tyrol. This beautiful region of northern Italy is shaped by the majestic Dolomite Mountains. The area is famed for its hiking trails and also its wine, wh

We know that house plants improve our mental and physical wellbeing. In a strange way, plants effectively humanise an otherwise rather dull room. There is also no need to be competitive about the rarity or difficulty of any particular plant. The most

If you’ve been savvy enough to use your greenhouse for growing edibles this winter, now’s the time you’ll begin to reap the rewards – thankfully, the plants require very little attention in return! Expect bowlfuls of deliciously tender leaves and cut

Little is in flower now, except perhaps the last of the ivy, which attracts so many late pollinators you can often hear the flowers before you see them. If you have any flowering ivy, delay cutting it back until after the nutritious berries have been

Growing plants to sell in pots is a relatively recent innovation. Up until around 60 years ago trees, shrubs and perennials were always grown in the field, lifted in autumn and sold while the plants were dormant. Plants grown and sold in this way are

Hornbeam and beech are particularly great choices for impressive and fast-growing hedges grown from bare-root plants. They provide leafy growth in summer and retain attractive coppery leaves through winter. Young plants, known as whips, are cheap to

Order from September for delivery October onwards of fruit trees and soft fruit. blackmoor.co.uk One of the largest tree growers in the UK. Order any time for delivery from late November. frankpmatthews.com/online-shop Specialists in hedging, with a

5 days from £815pp, March-November 2024 departures Experience some of the world’s most spectacular scenery as you enjoy journeys on three of Scotland’s most celebrated railways. Scan here for current offers ◼ Rail travel from Inverness to Kyle of Loc

Creative Christmas – on sale until 01 Nov Year Planner 2024 – on sale from 02 Nov Subscribers save 25% when you enter your subscriber number • Small Space Gardening • Beginner Basics • Creative Containers • Creative Christmas • Year Planner 2024 BUMP

As I reflect on this summer’s harvest, there have been problems, such as slow-ripening tomatoes, though thankfully there were successes too. Every year some crops grow better than normal while others do unexpectedly worse, but not worrying about it c

Two-night stay from £344* per couple OFFER NOW VALID UNTIL JANUARY! Includes entry to Slimbridge Wetland Centre The Grade ll-listed Queens Hotel sits in a landmark position in the heart of Regency Cheltenham, overlooking Imperial Square, which leads

VISIT GardenersWorld.com/what-to-do-now for more advice on the best crops to sow and plant this month, and how to do it. Gardeners' World offer Keep up with the seasons by joining Seed Pantry’s Grow Club for monthly deliveries of discounted ‘right ti

Your garden, just like mine, is probably winding down for the season. (Though I’d love to learn to overwinter veg for year-round harvests… give me a couple of years and maybe we’ll get there!) But you might still have apples, pears, leeks, kale and p

Cut back the tall stems on your roses to stop them getting blown about by the wind, particularly if they were planted this year. Long stems being whipped back and forth risk root rock, which is when the roots are physically tugged by the movement of

Make straight hardwood cuttings of shrubs such as deutzia (below), buddleia, cornus and weigela. They’ll root slowly in a cold frame over winter, put on growth in spring and can be potted on or planted out to flower the following year. 1 SELECT the t

Visit buysubscriptions.com/GFGW1123 Call 03330 162 124** quoting code GFGW1123 *This offer is available to UK delivery addresses and via direct debit only. You will pay £49.99 every 12 issues saving over 35% on the usual shop price. You will be notif

Now is the time to collect seeds from trees and shrubs to grow on as hedging plants or specimen trees. Most berries and nuts provide food for wildlife, so get to them before they all disappear. To harvest the seeds from berries, mash them in water to

It’s easy to propagate angelica by division at this time of year. Angelica is a statuesque, architectural plant that can reach up to 2m tall, making an eye-catching feature in summer. It’s usually a biennial, but it can be kept going for a year or tw

Specially prepared hyacinth bulbs are available now, to be planted immediately. These carefully treated bulbs are primed for winter-flowering indoors and are good for impatient gardeners, producing fragrant blooms in 10-12 weeks, and you don’t even n

Lift your celery now before there’s a really hard frost or all the foliage starts to turn yellow. Harvest either by digging under a plant with a fork or, if several plants are close together in a row, by cutting the plant off at the root, which will

Root cuttings are a surefire way to propagate various plants that can otherwise be very difficult, including oriental poppies, eryngiums and verbascums. The technique couldn’t be more straightforward, and the cuttings need very little aftercare – onc

Elevate your gardening year with this special 132-page edition. Inside, you’ll find essential monthly tasks, must-have plants for each season and expert advice designed to keep your garden flourishing throughout the year. ON SALE in selected supermar

124 Gardeners’ Question Time The BBC Radio 4 experts answer this month’s pick of readers’ queries, including: ◼ How to tackle fungus gnats ◼ Whether to overwinter chilli plants ◼ Which trees to plant for privacy In plants, vivipary happens when seeds

Treat your friends to a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine subscription and receive a set of Niwaki Sentei Secateurs, worth £39, and our Creative Christmas Guide, worth £7.99 Offer ends 16 November 2023 Call 03330 162123* and quote code GWSP1123 Visit buy

1 Take root cuttings now of perennials such as Oriental __ (7) 7 For Your __ Only is a scented floribunda rose in rich sunset shades (4) 8 Popular name for aconitum (9) 9 Remove faded leaves and flowers from plants to prevent the spread of __ mould (

DISCOVER our top trips for garden lovers – at home and abroad Get free shrubs from hardwood cuttings – NICK shows you how GO UNDERGROUND with us as we demystify the science of soil ■

Consequences. How little we appear to have considered them when push comes to shove. So often we are surprised when one seemingly well-considered course of action leads to unforeseen circumstances that undermine our initial and often laudable intenti

Casting my mind back to when I was 21 – which is a few years ago now – I remember Geoff Hamilton saying to me: “The answer is in the soil, boy!”. Yes, a man ahead of his time, but so right. The key to a good garden is your relationship with the soil;