Join us for a new podcast series of summer conversations with the BBC Gardeners’ World team. Listen to gardening inspiration from some of the UK’s most loved and well-respected gardening experts. With advice for adding colour to your garden, working with nature, boosting your wellbeing, thrifty gardening, veg growing and allotment life. We’ll also take you on a royal tour, go behind the scenes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, share garden designer secrets, tips for growing better roses, plant-based recipes with Deliciously Ella and much more. Plus, take a sneak peak inside the gardens of celeb ..read more

Longer days mean more time spent in the garden. If you have decking on which to enjoy an al fresco meal or a spot of sunbathing, then now is the time to give it some love. V33 are offering the chance to win two 2.5L tins of their High Performance Decking Oil. This oil enhances the natural colour of wooden decking and is UV- and water-resistant with anti-slip properties. It is also quick-drying and water-based, ensuring long-lasting protection against sunlight and temperatures from -100C to + 350C.  Just apply one or two coats of Decking Oil once a year for routine maintenance. On high tr ..read more

Hebes are popular evergreen shrubs, mostly native to New Zealand although some are native to Australia and South America. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are suitable for growing in a range of sites and planting schemes. Hebes are excellent in shrub borders, used as ground cover or low-growing hedging, and are relatively low-maintenance. Hebes flower over a long period – all year round in mild regions – with flower colours including pink, blue and white. They can be an important late-year source of nectar and pollen for bumblebees. Leaf colour varies too, from dark green ..read more

Do you remember that garden Bunny Guinness designed at Chelsea Flower Show in 2011? You know, the one with the beautiful hazel-hurdle-raised-beds burgeoning with edibles and ornamentals. Well, if you don’t, it was stunning. I could not stop staring at its honed perfection. But, I thought at the time, ‘this is a Chelsea Garden that can’t be recreated in reality’. So, was I right? Can you combine ornamentals and vegetables without either party being compromised? Can you truly make a space that is at once pretty, productive and practical? Bunny Guinness’ ‘The M and G Garden’ at Chelsea 2011 com ..read more

The orange-tip is one of the first butterflies of the year to emerge and can be found nectaring on spring flowers such as bluebells and cuckoo flower. The male is white with orange wing tips while the female has black wing tips – both sexes have beautiful mottled underwings, which are visible when mating and resting. After mating the female lays eggs on the flower stalks of cuckoo flower and hedge mustard, but in gardens may also lay on honesty and sweet rocket. These eggs are greenish at first but mature to orange, and the first instar caterpillars are orange, too, becoming green after the f ..read more

May growing with Rachel Rachel is growing all of the free seeds given to subscribers, including the tomato seeds May. The cold memories of winter replaced by the promise of summer evenings pottering around our green spaces. It’s a non-stop, exciting month in the garden as the risk of frost has passed in the UK, she says confidently! But that means all those seedlings you’ve been nurturing in the greenhouse and on windowsills can finally be planted out and seeds sown directly into the soil. I’ve been growing vegetables and flowers across our garden and allotment for 15 years, and this year I’m ..read more

Adding tasteful ornaments to your garden can help provide structure to your space, as well as providing support for climbing plants. Harrod Horticultural are offering the chance to win one of their beautiful Vintage Wire Obelisks. Designed and manufactured in the UK, these obelisks will add a focal point to your garden, perfect for supporting colourful climbers such as roses, jasmine or clematis. Their natural rust finish gives them a timeless traditional look and comes with a 10-year guarantee.  To find out more visit harrodhorticultural.com Prize details Three winners will each receive ..read more

Sheds are an invaluable addition to any garden, providing storage, protection and even a space to relax. However, it’s worth making sure you match the right shed to your garden and your gardening needs. If you simply want a low-maintenance, durable garden space for storage, a metal shed may be all you need, but depending on the tools and other kit you have you might need a large apex shed, or just a garden chest. We’ve rounded up a selection of a range of different types of shed, all made from either wood or metal. In the interest of reducing plastic usage in the garden, we haven’t recommende ..read more

Making your own compost can be one of the most sustainable ways of gardening Zest are offering the chance to win their attractive Eco Hive Composter, designed to resemble a traditional wooden beehive. Made from slow-grown softwood, sourced from PEFC-certified forests, the Eco Hive Composter has a 405 litre capacity and an open base which helps to produce internal heat. The lid opens either side and folds back, making access easy for churning the compost faster, while the lower hatch enables convenient harvesting.  Also included is the 2m Zest Veg bed. This raised, manger-style planter is ..read more

Oenothera (previously known as gaura) are pretty, deciduous perennials that look great in cottage garden-style or informal plantings. Also known as wandflower, oenotheras have a relaxed habit with small, starry flowers in white or pink, appearing from early summer to autumn. They are perfect for filling gaps and can also be grown in containers, in an informal combination with grasses and trailing plants. The botanical name Gaura has recently been changed to Oenothera. However, the name gaura is still widely used. How to grow oenothera Grow oenothera in moist but free-draining soil in ful ..read more