In winter the garden is far from the heady days of burgeoning cut flowers and luscious crops, but there are still pleasures to be had. One of my favourite cut flowers is at its best in winter; the Hellebore brings an early flash of colour, each flowerhead like a jewel amongst the brown leaves and … More Little surprises

Already! Underneath last year’s growth, yesterday, I found the unexpected – shoots! Thick and waxy and with the deep enticing hue of a Malbec, the first tentative hint of my beloved peonies has already appeared. This takes us to the question of ‘cutting back’. Removing dead wood and old growth from borders is a task … More Shoots