Spring bulbs are one of the easiest ways to bring reliable colour back to your garden after winter. With a little preparation, you can enjoy cheerful flowers from late winter through to early summer. When to plant spring bulbs Most spring-flowering bulbs, including daffodils, tulips, crocuses, hyacinths and alliums, are planted in autumn. Aim to plant them between September and November, before the ground becomes hard or waterlogged. Daffodils and crocuses can be planted earl

Autumn can make a garden look as if it is winding down, but this is one of the busiest and most useful times of the year. The soil is still warm, rain returns, weeds slow down, and plants begin to store energy for winter. A few steady jobs now can save hours in spring and help the garden come back stronger. This is not about stripping everything bare. A good autumn garden is tidy enough to stay healthy, sheltered enough to support wildlife, and prepared enough to face frost,

A lawn can look ruined after a run of hot, dry weather, only to surprise you a few weeks later with fresh green shoots. That first change from straw-coloured and brittle to soft and living again is one of the most welcome sights in the garden. After the heatwave across the south east of England, many lawns have been under real stress. Some turned patchy, some went completely brown, and others stopped growing almost overnight. The good news is that grass is tougher than it loo