BBC Gardeners' World

Gardeners' World Magazine is the authoritative voice in gardening, the clear market-leader since it launched in 1991. The award-winning editorial includes topical, practical advice in the readers' favourite 'what to do now' section, and regular contributions and features from the top names in BBC gardening. Packed with fresh ideas and clear advice - the innovative approach offers creative, practical and problem-solving solutions to all keen gardeners.

More from Gardeners' World magazine

Welcome

We love February • “Into each life a little rain must fall” is a quote from the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This is particularly appropriate for gardeners. It cannot always be balmy days and summer roses. The exultations of spring are brief and the freworks of autumn fleeting. There have to be struggles and there have to be downs, so that we can properly appreciate the ups. February, to be honest, is a bit of a rubbish month for the most part. It is cold, dank, dreary and disheartening, but there are always little sparkles of hope around the corner: here are a few of them…

Expert’s choice • Recent hellebores Clever breeding has seen a host of eye-catching hybrids arrive to spice up dull winters, says Graham Rice

FREE* 30 bedding plug plants for every reader

The Full Monty • Our temperate climate means we can grow almost anything, but maybe there’s a lesson for us all in the hard choices imposed by the Spanish landscape, says Monty

Have your say • The view from your side of the fence

Over the fence • Have heated greenhouses had their day?

Digging deeper • Putting the spotlight on the biggest issues in gardening today

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2 for 1 Gardens Walk on the wild side • This month, we’re using the 2 for 1 Gardens entry card to spot some of the most exciting wildlife the UK has in late winter

Container of the month • Colourful witch hazel, primulas and euonymus all offer cheerfulness at this chilly time of year

Onions from seed • Onions may not have the glamour of some other veg in the plot, says Sheila Das, but they are one of the few crops that can be grown to provide a whole year’s supply – and all for the cost of a packet of seeds

Enjoy 3 issues for only £5 • Subscribe today and get your first 3 issues of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine for only £5, then pay just £27.60 every 6 issues – still saving 29% on the usual shop price†

The great pollinator fight-back • Declining insect populations are of serious concern, but there’s so much we can do – and it all starts in our gardens, says Monty

Monty’s plant picks for pollinators • Good combinations will keep pollinators well fed for months at a time

Bare-root roses for beginners • There’s no better way to plant roses than as bare-root plants – they’re cheap, easy and extremely forgiving, says Alan Titchmarsh

How to plant them

My favourite roses

“If you have a pond, put a seat by it. You can lose hours observing what goes on”

Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN • Even colours that usually clash can feel unified and restful – Nick Bailey shows you how to make it work

Gardens of France, Spain and Portugal • 14 September 2024 – 12-night cruise from only £1,699pp

Bouquets on board • Hop off the towpath onto Stuart Fenwick’s floating floristry studio and learn how to grow cut flowers in any tiny space

6 small-space favourites

Start your cut-flower garden from seed • I’m sowing a cut-flower favourite of mine here, purple basil, which is better sown direct once the ground warms and there’s no chance of frost, but the principle is the same for many cut flowers. Just check the packet for...