Amateur Gardening

Every week, Amateur Gardening is the first choice for both beginners and knowledgeable gardeners looking for advice and easy-to-follow practical features on growing flowers, trees, shrubs as well as fruit and vegetables. Be inspired, by our beautifully illustrated features covering plant and flower groups, both home grown and exotic, and take a sneak peek into some of the most beautiful private gardens around the country. Plus, every week we feature expert opinion and tips from some of gardening’s most influential exponents including Toby Buckland, Bob Flowerdew, Anne Swithinbank, Peter Seabrook and Jo Whittingham.

Editor's Note

Stocking up on compost • Ruth looks at the many varieties and their different uses

A compost for every plant • How to choose the right product for the task in hand

Chemical ban is overturned

The latest recruits to Team AG • Renowned horticulturalists will test tools and give advanced tips

Spice up your life • Ruth sows her chillies and early tomatoes

Keeping cuttings healthy • Ruth pots them on and makes sure there are no problems

Rose bed renewal • You must take steps to avoid replant disease, says Peter

Milady is a true beauty • Sow these asters now for a carpet of colour, says Ruth

Multiple choice • For a quick way to get more from plants and save a packet, pick plants you can easily split into multiples, says Bob

Secret lives of bees • Val finds out some interesting facts from a new bee book

Focus on… Planting garlic • Find yourself a warm, sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil and you too could soon be growing the finest garlic. Lucy explains how to get even more canny with your cloves!

Salad leaves • Soup up your salads with lettuce and leaves that are easy, quick, tasty and cheap – a must for both novice and experienced veg growers alike, says Louise Curley

Create a Mini Jungle • Have your borders hit the doldrums? Ever thought of creating a tropical theme in one of them? Anne Swithinbank has some great varieties for you to try

Have yourself a Rose-tinted February! • Whether you want a gift for a loved-one or for your own patio, now is the ideal time for you to plant roses in containers, as Hazel Sillver explains…

What can we grow for wildlife and for us?

My favourite rare clematis • A handful of clematis varieties are immensely popular, yet there are many others that are equally beautiful though rarely seen. Christopher Lloyd picks out some of the best

This week it’s: Winter and evergreen clematis • Learn more about the vibrant beauties that brighten up the colder months

Battery-powered hedge trimmers • Steve and Val Bradley put six different machines with the new Lithium-ion powered batteries to the test, and find that there is something for everyone’s needs…

Be tidy and wildlife-friendly!

Against all the odds

Amateur Gardening

The small secret garden • A foliage-rich haven provides Simon Hickey and his partner Pam Barnes with plenty of peace and quiet within a busy suburb of Manchester, says Sue Bradley

Appetite for destruction • Hungry herring gulls threaten Toby’s fish. Luckily, he has acquired a feathery plant that promises to save the day…