Potentillas are absolutely indispensable shrubs. Amongst their virtues is the ability to grow practically anywhere in any soil except dense shade or a weeping bog. I cherish the dozen or so specimens and varieties which grow here, and enjoy the flowers which open in succession from May until September. They look a little untidy after leaf fall, but this can be forgiven in a shrub so thoroughly worthwhile.

Katherine Dykes, tall at 5 ft., opens primrose-yellow flowers throughout the summer. Klondyke, a dwarf at 18 in., has sparkling golden-yellow flowers. My own favourite, Longacre, makes a neat bush 18 in. high, and has cascades of good quality yellow blossoms. Primrose Beauty has more shape than most, with grey leaves and cream flowers. Tangerine has flowers of a delicate copper orange when grown on a lime soil in light shade and is well worth a corner.

Given an acid woodland type soil they make densely foliaged evergreen shrubs which deck themselves with racemes of lily-of-the-valley flowers in early spring. In some species the flowers are insignificant compared to the brilliant colouring of the young growth. The young growths open scarlet, change to pink, then pale cream before eventually acquiring the more sombre green.

Unlike the majority of gardeners I secretly prefer the species to the heavy-flowered hybrids which lack the beauty of shape or leaf to be worthy of a second look when not in flower. This may be because the species accept my acid soil with considerably better grace than the less agreeable hybrids. A neutral or alkaline soil is the ideal medium, but they do grow in well- drained acid clay. I feed each with a mixture of 3 parts bonemeal to part of sulphate of potash, at 3 oz. per sq. yd. in February.

Paul Thirion, the last to flower with trusses of rose blossom fading to lilac, is like so many inhabitants of this globe, admirable when young but with a distinct tendency towards decrepitude with advancing years.

Syringa x persica, the Persian Lilac, is a charming slender-branched shrub with lilac flowers in May. Its variety, alba, is similar except for the white flowers.

In S. x prestoniae can be found a race of hybrids quite unlike any of the others. They are vigorous and tolerant of a vast degree of exposure and soil types. The flowers are carried in large loose panicles. Audrey, deep lilac to pale pink, has made a bush 10 ft. high in 16 years in my garden and improves each year. Royalty has violet-blue flowers and is much the same height.

This is a magnificent family which includes the lovely winter-flowering Jasminum nudiflorum. I always grow this as a wall plant and the long rambling shoots are then displayed to the proper effect.

A pergola, stump, even an old stone gate post are all methods I have adopted as support and pressed into service when no wall space could be provided. As a free-growing shrub the shoots should be hard pruned to encourage a proliferation of side branches but this to a certain extent spoils the character.

Propagation is effected by chopping away rooted pieces from the parent or if preferred by cuttings.

The white-flowering fragrant climber, is rather more demanding, though it becomes a strong vigorous climber capable of covering a ’12-ft. high wall with ease. Propagation of both species is easily effected by means of semi-hardwood cuttings in July – August.

Silver Queen has cream-margined leaves but stubbornly persists in being male. I would consider myself a fortunate being if my garden were graced with a well-grown bush of Perry’s Weeping Holly. Not only is it graceful, but the silvered leaves are bedecked in due season with beyond ordinary. Seed of the species sown in the open ground after stratification germinates readily.

Daphne mezereum was first recorded wild in Britain sometime during the mid-18th century. I grow the pink, white, and deep red forms, but prefer the red because it flowers before all the rest and is such a richly satisfying colour.

Outside the window, there is a D. mezereum in full perfect flower. Each branch is completely hidden by the deep pink, tightly packed blossom. I always plant this daphne near a much used path so that everyone who passes can enjoy the sweet scent of the flowers. A warm day or two will see the first blossoms open in late February, and in spite of snow showers my bush is still lovely to look at on the last day of March.

The Chilean Fire Bush, Embothrium coccineum, was a lunatic piece of extravagance which succeeded beyond my expectations. The first bush planted 17 years ago on what was then an exposed hillside is now a small tree 15 ft. high. The label reads Embothrium coccineum Norquinco Valley. Each year in June the profusion of scarlet flowers against the perfectly contrasting deep green of the leaves make me eternally grateful that, ignoring all the advice offered, we insisted on trying the impossible.

Before leaving the subject of group planting sphagnum moss should be mentioned as a possible plunging material. Moss of this kind has many advantages, not least the fact that it is light, clean and easy to handle, and that difficult plants seem to do particularly well when plunged in it. Recalling my personal. experience with the success of a difficult plant may help to emphasise the advantages of this material.

By keeping the peat moist it will be found that the plants do not require to he watered as often as those placed individually on the window ledge. However, having emphasised the need for keeping the peat moist one must add a word of warning against overdoing it, as plants cannot possibly be expected to do well in the soggy mess that will result from too frequent watering.

Grouped together plants create a certain amount of humidity and feeling around one another, and this is a very important requirement in hot and dry room conditions. In the greenhouse we can combat the dry atmosphere created by the heating pipes by frequent damping of the area around the plants, and by wetting the ground beneath the staging and the pathways as frequently as possible.

If you already have a pond on your property, or you are looking to build one, one way to make it extra special is to add some Black Koi. Black Koi are as versatile as they are beautiful, and make a great addition to any pond.

However, before getting any type of live animal, it is a good idea to do a little background research. This is to ensure you will be able to handle the care and maintenance of the animal, and that you will be a good fit for each other.

If you didn’t already know, Koi is just another name for carp, which is a large species of fish that originated somewhere around Asia and Central Europe. There were several species of carp even in the beginning, and this led them to be easily domesticated throughout South East Asia and China. They were even used as a food source in and around Asia. By the time the fish made it to Japan, they became known as Koi. This creature is extremely hardy, and can withstand many different climates and water types and conditions. This hardiness is what allowed Koi to spread throughout Japan and many other new locations.

Laburnum offers little choice except one outstandingly handsome tree in L. x vossii. In late May and early June the long golden racemes of flowers on a mature tree of 30 ft. are a truly lovely sight, especially when viewed from below under spring sunshine. A free-draining soil is essential for both this and the graft hybrid, laburnocytisus, or root development is poor. Propagation is by means of budding or grafting.

A sheltered corner is essential or all the beauty of leaf is lost to the tearing bruising wind. In September – October the green fades to soft yellow as the leaves fall at the onslaught of winter. I have only seen the rather peculiar green, orange-blotched flowers at rare intervals, and would rather it refrained completely.

The variety known as fastigiatum or pyramidale offers hope to the small garden for in this case all the growth is severely upright and not spreading.

The season is going to determine how you feed your Koi. Since Koi are cold blooded, their metabolism changes based on the temperature of the water where they reside. Feeding Koi too much food during cold weather and not enough during hot weather can be quite hazardous to them. Luckily, though, Koi feeding is not a science, but does require that you use some care. As long as you follow the correct Koi feeding instructions, there should be no issues with having healthy Koi for years to come.

One really great way to ensure that you are feeding your Koi in the right way is to have a pond thermometer provide you an accurate temperature reading of your pond water all year round. When the weather is cold, their metabolism slows down, so you definitely don?t want to overfeed. They will not be able to process the food they eat and it is important to realize that fish don?t really know when to stop eating. That is why they are easily overfed. In the summer, their metabolism speeds up and this is when they tend to grow, so daily feedings are a good idea.

When you have a Koi garden or pond, it is important that it stays clean and the best way to do that is by using a Koi filter. But there are various types of filters that you can purchase, so it is very important that you understand what is available. Having the right filter means that you will have a system that works for you when it comes to your budget and the size of your pond.

The filter you want to look at is the biological filter. This is a filter that is made to get rid of particulate and organic substances. These filters use what is called anaerobic bacteria-laden filter media. A biological filter breaks down the harmful substances that can damage your fish and your pond. It removes decaying pond creatures, fish waste, leaves, and other decaying debris that sits at the bottom of the pond.

Bacteria is used in the breakdown process because it is a special bacteria that can take substances that are harmful and break them down into something that is not as harmful. For example, ammonia is broken down in two stages. Each stage also involves a different type of bacteria. The first stage is the nitrifying of the bacteria and the second stage involves converting the nitrite to nitrate.

The species H. paniculata grandiflora makes a very impressive sight in late summer, especially when the shoots are thinned to allow full development. The branches arch over with the weight of the panicles which open first to white then fade to pale pink. H. villosa is one of the loveliest of the late summer-flowering species with large lilac-blue inflorescences.

Both are lovely grown against a dark background of evergreens. The blue and white flowers of H. involucrata on 18-in. stems provide just the right softening influence to the lustre of the orange lily Enchantment, so I mix them up like a floral salad in a bed dominated by a sombre yew.

Some plants radiate a positive bonhomie, and in this respect St John’s Wort has few equals. In the old herbals it is credited with the ability to cure melancholy, so the prudent gardener should always have a bush on hand, at least on budget days!