The weather forecast is rarely far from a gardener's mind, especially at this time of year. Opening the BBC weather app on his phone (as he does at least once a day, often more!), Head Gardener Jack now checks not just for any rain or wind that may shape his work schedule, but keeps a close eye on night time temperatures too. In this particular corner of the UK, we can expect the first frost anytime from late October onwards. In a garden with its share of tender and half-hard

Step into the garden at Gasper Cottage in October and you will be greeted by dahlias, cosmos, sunflowers, and asters, still fresh, flawless, and bursting with life and colour. These late-season troopers continue to flower their socks off well into autumn, wilfully refusing to take their cue from the many other plants now firmly in 'wind down' mode. With such season-defying vigour on offer, the value of succession planting has never been more apparent. By this, we mean plantin

For much of the growing season, the meadow here at Gasper Cottage demands very little input. Its winding grass paths are the only part in need of attention, and even then nothing more than a weekly whizz round with the mower and occasional light sculpting of the edges. Not a foot is set on the vegetation itself: a rich, heady tapestry of long grass, wildflowers, and naturalistic perennials. Once a year, however, this fuss-free feature veers to the other extreme of dominating

If we were asked for the defining plant of Gasper Cottage, it would without question be the dahlia. Not only is does this late summer...

If we're going to share our successes in the garden, it seems only fair we admit to the failures as well. Those plants that, despite our...