INTO ACTION Spring

Checkmate

If you’re short of spring flowers, why not tuck some potted snake’s head fritillaries into your beds and borders? Grow these cheerful chequered blooms in cool, moist soil, alongside miniature daffodils and dwarf tulips Mar-May (AGM*)

Think Pink

If you’re after a plant for the front of a spring border, a rockery or a patio container, pretty Parahebe ‘Pink Delight’ is perfect. Growing to only 30cm tall, the dainty pink spring flowers are complemented by neat semi-evergreen foliage Jun-Sept

True Blue

Add a flash of electric blue to your patio pots with this unusual climber called Sollya ‘Ultra Blue’. Grow up an obelisk or against a trellis panel to enjoy the nodding azure flowers, then move the container to a frost-free location in winter. Jun-Sept

African Queens

Watch out for new varieties of Streptocarpus in store this spring Also known as ‘cape primrose’, these pretty houseplants originally came from South Africa. They flower for several months at a time, in shades of purple, pink, blue and white. May-Oct

Turn to page 48 for more houseplant inspiration