Garden Answers

Garden Answers is a vibrant and inspiring gardening magazine filled with ingenious design ideas and exciting plant combinations guaranteed to make your garden beautiful.

Meet the Contributors • “This month in the garden I’ll be…”

Welcome

Celebrate SHIMMERING IN THE MIST • Gently trembling grasses, icy red sedums and fronds of frosty panicles create layers of fabulous texture

Be inspired by… • Plants, books, events & buys for the month

NEWS

Wish list • Make your winter pots dazzle even in dreary weather with fillers, spillers and thrillers!

Fire & ice • December heralds the start of winter, with days becoming shorter as the solstice approaches. However, even in this bleakest of seasons, a garden can still dazzle, says Louise Curley

Verdant WINTER FERNS • When the long dark months beckon, foliage takes centre stage. Val Bourne chooses some of the best ferns to brighten your garden

Gardening’s ORIGINAL BAD GIRL • Immortalised in a spectral plant bearing her name, Ellen Willmott’s exceptional achievements have sometimes been overshadowed by her reputation as a prickly eccentric, but in her book, Miss Willmott’s Ghost, Sandra Lawrence says this remarkable woman deserves to be remembered for what she really was: a gardening genius of her time

Christmas GIFT GUIDE • From cosy slippers to composters, choose the perfect gift for the gardener in your life

Simply scentsational SARCOCOCCA • The tassel-like flowers of these glossy, handsome evergreens emit a gorgeous winter perfume that belies their tiny size, says Sue Fisher

December • Move shrubs while they’re dormant, choose a living Christmas tree, deal with weeds, plant last-minute bulbs and bareroot hedges

CHOOSE A LIVING CHRISTMAS TREE! • Enjoy your festive fir tree all year round, by buying a living tree in a pot then planting it outdoors

What to do this month…

Celebrate enchanting evergreens • Be bewitched by the magic of these winter stalwarts defying the thinning of the year

WILD AND WONDROUS 2024 • Adrian Thomas describes another eventful year in his mission to create a wildlife-friendly garden

A GARDEN OF ENCHANTMENT • Taking inspiration from garden open days helped one couple turn an open field into an enchanting retreat

PACKING A PUNCH • Colour is the star throughout the year in this picture-perfect labour of love garden, says Marina Jordan-Rugg

Wonderful Whatley • Whatley Manor is set within 12 acres of glorious gardens, carefully cultivated to bring joy with sustainability at its heart

Gift yourself or a friend the joy of gardening

Welcome to my lovely plot • December may be the darkest and sometimes coldest month but it’s also full of glow, light, and the most anticipated day in my calendar… Winter Solstice!

LET IT RAIN DOWN • Make the most of the wet weather and prevent flooding by collecting water in a rain garden

Ask the Experts • Our experts will help you get the best from your garden

Q&A • Why are orchid leaves going brown? When do skimmia buds open? Read on…

HOUSEPLANTS

HERBACEOUS

FRUIT TREES

BUG HUNT

PESTS, DISEASES & DISORDERS

Garden RESCUE • Organise a tired conifer collection to create more rhythm, repetition and drama, says Ian Hodgson

Over to you!

Garden Answers

Frame your garden with festive fashion • These standard holly trees with pinecone-style planters will transform your doorstep or patio

Decadent DOUBLE HELLEBORES • Let the cold weather do its worst, heavenly hellebores will keep your garden glowing

Win these gardening goodies! • Enter this month’s crossword for a chance to win...