Rhododendron: how to grow and care for these spring and summer flowers | House & Garden

Spring cleanup can be a real mess. If you cut your own ornamental grasses, that’s especially true if it’s a windy day and you’re dealing with taller ­grasses (e.g., Miscanthus, Panicum) blowing everywhere as they’re cut and fall over.

Drought-tolerant, laden with nectar, evergreen, long-flowering, and so pungent that it fills the garden with scent, lavender is deservedly popular. The late garden designer Rosemary Verey said, «You can never have too much of it in your garden». In its preferred conditions, of well-drained soil that is baked by the sun, it is easy to grow.

Orange ‘Fire King’ wallflowers and reddish-purple ‘Slawa’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Rem’s Favourite’ tulips in Sarah Raven's cutting garden.

One of the biggest changes in the Gardening Advice we provide over the last few years is in relation to lawn care. The focus is now on creating lawns with low nitrate fertilisers, monitoring soil pH and using bacterial products to reduce thatch rather than mechanical scarification and in lawns with heavy ware from children etc we are introducing clover to create a greener lawn surface in both the summer and winter

You will be amazed to discover the natural wonders hidden in your garden plants whose leaves offer unique benefits when crushed and smelled. See what these unbelievable benefits these plants bring to the table!

Hydrangeas are much-loved deciduous hardy shrubs, some of which are climbers. Their striking flowerheads come in a range of shapes, from large balls to cones. The most popular and recognisable types are mophead and lacecap, which have large, rounded flowerheads in shades of white, blue and pink in summer and autumn.

Hebes are popular evergreen shrubs, mostly native to New Zealand although some are native to Australia and South America. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are suitable for growing in a range of sites and planting schemes. Hebes are excellent in shrub borders, used as ground cover or low-growing hedging, and are relatively low-maintenance.

Left: WWD / Getty Images; Right: CARSON DOWNING

Getting the most vibrant blooms for your container and garden is not a rocket science. All you need are a few tips on how to use the right blend of soil, sunlight, and more, to achieve them easily!

If you've ever marveled at the cozy ambiance of a room, chances are a great lighting scheme was at work.

How to Grow and Harvest Pea Shoots

The umbrella plant is popular for its large leaves that are held on a long stem, with five long leaves spanning out like the canopy of an umbrella. There are two species of umbrella plant, Schefflera, that make good house plants – Schefflera arboricola and Schefflera actinophylla. These are both easy to grow and low maintenance, being able to cope with a bit of neglect when it comes to watering. These house plants are fast growing, reaching up to 3m, with evergreen foliage that will make an impact in the corner of a room. The most common one found online is Schefflera arboricola, which is native to China and its cultivar ‘Nora’, which is more compact than the species, reaching only 1.5m tall. There is also ‘Gold Capella’, which has yellow margins on its leaves.