Simon Lycett, floral designer to the stars, gets given the keys for some truly spectacular venues and today, he's allowing us to peek into the hidden world of event floristry. From Hampton Court Palace to St Paul's, these are parties on a grand scale.
Alan names and shames his personal gardening nemesis: the water feature. Dodging any responsibility for its rise to popularity through Ground Force, Alan tries to find the ones whose beauty justifies the bother of maintenance.
In a world of plastic, be more terracotta. Jane Perrone makes the case for baked earth as the ultimate container for your favourite plants, indoors and out, plus the surprisingly simple trick (involving your dishwasher) that could save a dying pot.
So ubiquitous we are in danger of taking them for granted, the pelargonium has a long, aristocratic history. George Plumptre explores this posh plant's rise to fame and makes the case for declaring the pelargonium a feminist icon.
This week James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift take on the great British garden party — and James goes full grumpy old codger about outdoor kitchens, outdoor rugs, and the terrible idea that a garden is just an extra room with a bar in it. Joe, of course, is having none of it.
