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Unlike most gardeners, I’m not especially captivated by spring bulbs. I do love that they symbolise the return of fairer weather, but I only have the tulips and narcissi that I adopted when we moved here and, every autumn, I fail to consider planting more to replenish their dwindling numbers. Lucky for me, I also adopted the … Read more

Step into Richard E Grant’s garden in Richmond, London, and you’ll be met with a rather unconventional sight. Instead of the daffodils and tulips you’d usually find in an English garden at this time of year, Grant’s space is full of props and decorations from the films he’s starred in – from Saltburn to Carrie … Read more

My father, Tony Bracegirdle, who has died aged 83, was a successful amateur rose grower and exhibitor. He won the Royal National Rose Society open championship in 1996 and 17 more times over the next 20 years. His love of roses began in 1965 when he saw “Ena Harkness” in bloom in the garden of … Read more

Name: The laundry chair. Age: Less than a week old. Appearance: A bold new hybrid of wardrobe and chair. I’m sorry, run this past me again. Do you have a pile of clothes that you’ve already worn but aren’t quite ready to wash? Do you need a place to keep them? Then let me introduce … Read more

The problemSomewhere along the way, moss poles became mandatory for any climbing plant. In reality, most are plastic tubes wrapped in fibres that shed, go bald and drop bits all over the soil. The “living totem” promise is rarely fulfilled, especially if you aren’t misting it daily. The hackSwap the fake tree trunk for a … Read more

I was pleased to read Stephen Moss’s account of blue tits starting to sing in his garden as they gear up for nesting season (Birdwatch: Blue tits are feisty and fascinating but often taken for granted, 11 March). But while blue tits remain a familiar sight, they, along with many other garden birds, now face … Read more