Here we recommend plants for coastal gardens subject to strong, salt-laden winds and exposed gardens high above sea level with little in the way of protection.

Cool and calm plants: French lavender ( Lavandula stoechas), Lobelia, Lobularia maritima (alyssum) and marguerites. This will lift spirits after what can feel like a long dark winter with a riot of colour from Crocus, Iris and Winter Aconites. Exhaustive tips and information from gardeners past and present, along with a splendid array of over 800 photographs. Born in Scotland, Raoul Curtis-Machin developed a passionate interest in gardening from the age of thirteen. Carefully remove the plants from their pots, tease out the roots gently and work more compost around the rootballs.When you change to a summer display, the bulbs can then be planted in the ground to flower the following spring. Make firm the compost around the plants, water well to settle any air pockets and top up with compost if necessary. It is quite a delicate plant so grow on for one or two seasons in ericaceous compost until large enough to cope with its preferred native spagnum bog conditions, best planted in the spring. Plants that produce lots of berries – such as berberis and pyracantha – are particularly good at attracting birds to your garden.

Interestingly, it also thrives well in New Zealand, where it has become so rampant it is now classed as a weed! Make sure it’s not frozen or waterlogged before attempting to do any digging, as this will hinder root establishment. Due to our wet and windy weather, the Bog Myrtle shrub thrives both wild and in our garden, bulking out flower beds with pretty, sweet smelling yellow flowers.We grow a large range of plants including many interesting and unusual varieties not usually seen for sale. Adding well-rotted materials like homemade compost will feed the tiny microbes Then, other creatures such as worms do all of the work by decomposing the waste matter and secreting nutrients to create better soil structure and fertility.

Although spring plants are not as flamboyant as those used in summer containers, you can still make a statement with careful plant selection. Creating a wildlife-friendly garden doesn’t have to be difficult, or compromise the way your garden looks. The PLANTS project team will share their experiences of recording some of the most important plant collections in Scotland through regular blog posts. Robust and resilient, heather grows particularly well in damp conditions, and soil dosed with acid compost should help it grow beautifully in your garden, year after year.

With an honours degree in landscape management from Reading University, he became Head Gardener for ICI, then set up his own London-based business, designing gardens for celebrity chefs including Anton Mosimann, rock stars including Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Crown Arab Princes and business tycoons. It was -18 here last winter, I need plants which are going to survive our conditions, not expensive mistakes that will die.

Firstly, create some shelter by installing a wind-breaking hedge or row of trees, staking trees and installing windbreak netting against newly installed hedging plants. Take time to think about what works for you and your garden - a lawn for children can still be rich in herbs like white clover, selfheal and birds-foot-trefoil. There are many gardening books which, once bought, simply sit on the shelf and are rarely consulted, but Garden Plants for Scotland is one book which every passionate gardener will want to consult regularly.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to go anywhere since we moved here due to the virus and I have Lupus which makes me high risk. All our plants are grown in peat-free growing media as we think this is the responsible option and we also have superb results. You can also ensure that your garden has a mixture of native plant species, with plenty of sheltered areas for birds to seek refuge. Cox), A Plantsman's Guide to Rhododendrons , Cox's Guide to Choosing Rhododendrons (with Peter Cox), The Encyclopedia of Rhododendron Species (with Peter Cox), Rhododendrons: a Hamlyn Care Manual and Rhododendrons and Azaleas .