How not to Garden: the September edition

How not to garden in September: do not rip anything out, do not prune, do not scalp the lawn, and do not panic order every bulb in the catalogue. Laetitia and Ann-Marie on the plants that survived the drought untouched, and why you should buy for foliage, not flowers.

Appley dappley

Every apple you have ever eaten descends from a single tree in the mountains of Kazakhstan. James Alexander-Sinclair chases apples from there to Babylon, to Johnny Appleseed's cider orchards, to the chemically suspended blandness of today's supermarket shelf.

Working the Night Shift: Why Your Garden Needs Moths

Mention moths and someone always tells Helen they hate them. But these fluffy night workers can out-pollinate butterflies, feed our bats and birds, and have declined by a third since the 1960s. Here's why Helen is obsessed, and the easy changes that will bring them to your garden.

The Flower Show Bandwagon

The future of the big flower shows has caused much speculation and controversy recently. George Plumptre has been asking the big questions about how (and where) they can go next.

A stumpery revival

What has Highgrove got in common with a custard cream? And with today's piece from Sandra Lawrence? She's talking stumperies — why they were once exceptionally fashionable, why they keep disappearing, and why she's not building one herself.

Holiday blues? Or browns?

Joe has had some R&R away from his big country garden, but going away means coming home. How has the garden fared in his absence? There are some stoics and some scorched, and one thing that made all the difference.

Persica roses

If this hasn't been your year for the hybrid teas, Matt has got his Eye on a particularly intriguing species of single-flowered roses, Rosa persica. The picture of health even in drought conditions, open-flowered for the pollinators, and blotchily beautiful. Are you ready to be seduced?

Counting needles and learning to love the pine

Alan Titchmarsh didn't always love pine trees; Friday identification tests at Kew saw to that. But having inherited 26 Scots pines with his new Surrey garden, he's become their devoted custodian. Here's why he's not afraid to change his mind on these giants.

Going underground: a nudge

This is your friendly reminder that this is the optimal moment to order your spring bulbs. In case you think that we always get it right, here are five of our best bulb tales.

The Landscaper's Dog

Dogs and gardens. A classic pairing. James is looking back at the highs and lows of a life with a landscaping dog. London in the 80s, and a black and white mongrel dog, in a scarlet bandana.

Lancelot 'Businessman' Brown

The busiest man in the business? Capability Brown was one of the first people to make his fortune through landscape design. George Plumptre explores how he did it.

Biophilia, and when gardens become a matter of life and death

The garden you hope you never need. Grace interviews Kate Tantam, pioneer of and advocate for green spaces for patients in ICU, exploring how the most natural of spaces can be adapted for the people who need them the most, and the difference they can make to recovery, or saying goodbye.