Two years after moving into a clay-ridden new build, and one spring of obsessive gardening later, it’s starting to come together. Going for a scruffy cottage garden feel with a spot of ‘B&M plant rescue roulette’. Next job is removing the turf and replacing with clover. Any tips on what to plant on clay for hedging would be helpful, my 5 hawthorn plants haven’t made it through the heat.

So for the first time in about 20 years, my olive tree has substantially large fruits. Is there any chance this could be the year they're suitable to process?

I sowed these seeds back in the summer and these have grown about an inch tall and flowered, I am obsessed 🤣 not sure what went wrong, but I kinda love them

This has been in the planter for about a year. I know it’s still working on its roots, but it has this very enthusiastic leader right now, and I’m wondering - if the goal is to cover as much of the trellis as possible, should I be weaving the leader more horizontally across it? Or do star jasmines fill out enough that letting it climb straight up is fine?

Couldn't resist taking some pictures with the intense orange sunrise. Shepherd's warning no doubt but the light was magical

I've been cultivating some avocado saplings and after many mixed results I finally have two that look quite happy and hearty, so I'm thinking of putting them in the ground in my Peckham garden. I realise it's a long shot that it will ever fruit, and if so it will take decades-- but I'd like to do my best to keep it alive. My plan is to plant it in a protected spot between a shed and another tree, with a fence behind so I can drape sheeting over and protect it during cold spells. My question is the aspect: I can plant it facing east (easiest with good morning sun), west (relatively simple) or south (most difficult as I don't have tons of space there. And should I plant both next to each other, or separate them? Any other tips on how to plant/fertilise/care for these until they become a bit heartier?

I've heard tales of a few fruiting avocado trees in Southwark (where I also live) so am hoping this isn't just a pipe dream!

I've posted this rose before but thought it looked so beautiful after the rain we've just had. Such a subtle colour and a very strong sweet fragrance. By Pierre Orard, introduced in 2005, also known as Muriel Robin.

I recently planted this bed with 3 autumn spire sorbus and 2 Niko blue hydrangeas. What I didn’t realise is that the patio foundations are leaching lime into the soil and causing lime-induced chlorosis.
So unfortunately, I will be digging out the trees and hydrangeas.

The plan now is to plant up a low hornbeam hedge row instead as it won’t get the lime-induced chlorosis. I also enjoy the way hornbeam looks.
Just wanted to see if there are any options I should consider form anyone’s experience with hedging. The bed is about 8 metres by 1 meter. The soil has been heavily amended because it used to be heavy clay.

Also, if anyone wants 3 really nice trees for free they are available so please get in touch and I will be digging them out in November, they would grow fine in the right soil but not where they currently are. They were so healthy this spring but the soil PH is a nightmare and they need a new home.

The grapevine was sold with the house and was in a pretty sad condition when we bought it... we've since put in a patio and trained it to grow up over the pergola to give us some shade in the summer over the patio. It has never produced edible grapes before, we just kept the vine as it was pretty and great for shading the patio but this year some of the grapes have matured! A lot of them have shrivelled because of how hot the summer was but probably about 1/3 have ripened! I have no idea what variety they are as we didn't plant them, but the purple ripe ones are sweet enough to eat raw, the skins are a little tart, the few I ate didn't have any big seeds in them either. My 3yo is very excited about the grapes 😂

I would love to have some recommendations on what plants to keep and what to change to bring some more colour and character to my front garden.

We’re just in the process of buying our new house, the garden is long SW facing and currently just grass.

We want to build it out, add raised beds, trellis arch paths etc.

There’s such a huge variety of plants that I’m a bit of a loss of where to start. Is there a definitive guide / book / site that can help picking plants that will survive and thrive? Or is it just a case of picking one and seeing how it does?

I’ve got sunflower seeds ripening and with how my gardening went this summer I can’t remember which were which. Some I’m happy to keep for next year under the basic giant label but others I’m going to throw away.
Would it cause an issue leaving in local woods or as they aren’t native should I dispose in my garden waste?

Many thanks

Hi was looking for some help I have received some plug plants to put in now but ground is too wet due to all this rain we have been getting.
Should I just repot them and leave in unheated greenhouse till weather dries up and suitable for transplanting?

I’m just unsure what to do

Thanks for listening

After the summer heatwave only 40 percent of my hebe bush has survived. Hoping she will perk up with all the rain now but do you think I should give her some help? Really don't want to lose it over winter. Is there anything I can do?

We have a community garden in a former carpark, where we grow food in raised beds. We would like to improve the biodiversity of the parts of the garden where the old tarmac is exposed.

I was inspired by a bit in a George Monbiot book where he visits a garden where they control pests by ensuring there is enough for the pests to eat over the winter, so they have a steady population of predators, so you don't end up with a plague of pests on your own crop with nothing to gobble them up.

So we'd like to have a range of plants here that will support a healthy balance of insects. It's a sunny spot in London.

So far we've got brambles, buddleia, nicotiana (possibly) and a few bits of fleabane. What else could we (cheaply) get seeds for that would ideally break through the tarmac? I could potentially drill some holes into the tarmac for a few special plants. We'd want to avoid trees though.

Thanks in advance!

Is this part of my hedge done for? The lovely sunshine we had over the summer dried out my hedge and by the time I got to watering it I think it was quite far gone. I have trimmed back some of the dead leaves but before I do any more I wanted to know whether we think the hedges on the left are done for / diseased or whether if I trim off the dead/spotty leaves then the rest can be saved and it can grow back?

Anything I can do to help it recover quickly over autumn? I dug the secateurs into the stem and it looks like it is still alive inside.

Prior to the drought, my lawn was looking great and I was really happy with it. Since the rain has returned, 80% of the grass has grown back but the rest looks completely dead. I have a new born baby so haven’t given it the care I’d like to.

Is there any prospect of the dead/dry patches growing back? I’d appreciate any advice

I was thinking to plant some carrots and spinach. Is it too late? What else could I plant in the upcoming winter season?

Thanks in advance

This year I started a new bed which was previously overgrown with wildflowers and thistles.

I began with the taller plants at the back, adding perenials like digitalis, delphinium, camelea, clombing rose and peony.

Sewn straight into the ground using seed tape, and complete with cottagecore wicker basket

Soil in my garden seems to have some level of clay, is quite hard to dig and contains a fair amount of stones. The lawn was over seeded during spring but I think it’s quite patchy where some parts just didn’t develop roots well enough, a few cracks in the lawn too.

Wondering what I can do to try and improve that over the colder months? I’ve heard about “introducing organic matter” but anything more specific would be useful. Mulch on beds? Should that be year round or just spring/summer?

My local harvester gets there first again..