It’s all a matter of balancing the outrageous show-offs with the quiet achievers, says Jo Arnell.

Garden borders can be tricky to get right. ‘I’ve looked at borders from both sides now,’ Joni Mitchell might have sung, had she been keener on gardening. If you’ve looked at yours in all weathers, in all seasons, from all angles and still somehow, you really don’t know borders at all, have one last look before chucking in the trowel.

Melianthus major is a surprisingly hardy exotic architectural anchor plant

Phlomis russelliana is a herbaceous structural plant

Phormiums provide striking border structure

Phormiums provide striking border structure

Yew topiary focal points at Great Dixter

Yew topiary focal points at Great Dixter

Flower Power

Inspired by Chelsea and a local success story, Jo Arnell gives us her tips and tricks for beautiful borders If you have been visiting, or looking at pictures of beautiful gardens and then returning to your own plot in despair,...

Pebble for Your Thoughts

Jo Arnell gets to grips with low maintenance gravel gardening Imagine an eco-friendly garden that is easy to care for, that you don’t have to water, with – best of all – no grass to mow? I’m not talking about...

Veg Out

Jo Arnell unearths all you need to know about planting veg this May May is a fantastic month for growing vegetables. The frosts should have passed (but do watch the weather forecast just in case!), the soil is warm, the...