Plant of the month

Lilacs

Crowded with hundreds of tiny florets in shades of blue, mauve, pink and white, lilac is one of the prettiest shrubs of spring. More from Plant of the month

Garden ideas

October - organise seed packets

Use an old wooden box – a wine box is good – and divide it into sections. More from Garden ideas

Garden schemes

Autumn fruits in a formal garden

Fruit can be as decorative as flowers in the garden and this type of planting looks its best in early autumn. Here, in this walled garden, foursquare beds edged with two-tier espaliered pear trees each contain an old, flavoursome variety of apple tree in a bed of roses covered with hips. More from Garden schemes

Garden advice

Kathy Brown on pots and containers

Kathy Brown, designer and author gives her top tips on pots and containers. More from Garden advice