A practical guide to choosing and siting a garden shed — permitted development limits, boundary distances, base preparation and the details that save you trouble later.

Work out whether your hydrangea flowers on old or new wood — then prune it at the right time and you'll never lose a season's blooms again.

How to plan a compact walled courtyard so it looks good all year, from layout and paving to evergreen structure, bulbs, wall planting and pots.

A month-by-month task list for shady, north-facing gardens, from warming cold soil in spring to planting bulbs and protecting pots through winter.

'Full sun' on a UK plant label is looser than it sounds. Here's how to measure real sun hours and aspect in your garden before you plant.

Clover, chamomile and wildflower turf all cut mowing time, but they suit very different gardens. Here's how they compare on cost, upkeep, wear and wildlife.

Bare-root shrubs are cheap and establish well, but a handful of avoidable errors — dried roots, wrong planting depth, boggy ground and no aftercare — can kill them before spring.