Scilla siberica

“No doubt this can be a thug, but ‘Lipstick’ trumpet vine is a hummingbird magnet in our garden,” says Allan Armitage. (Photos from his Twitter account)

Relax! It’s only a garden

Allan Armitage, well-known for his plant expertise and enthusiasm for all things horticultural, offers candid advice to uptight gardeners.

Camelot Mix foxgloves (Photo from Veseys)

Perennials that bloom the first year from seed

Sowing seed indoors during deepest winter can prompt some perennials into blooming in their first season. How to grow perennials that bloom the first year from seed.

Stephanotis plants can be coaxed to rebloom. (Photo by Forest & Kim Starr [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

Secrets to growing a stephanotis vine

A pot of white stephanotis vine (Madagascar jasmine) with clusters of deeply perfumed flowers can become a lovely vine grown in a container.

‘Honorine Jobert’ Japanese anemone blooms in mid-September. (Photo from www.PerennialResource.com)

‘Honorine Jobert’ is a lovely late Japanese anemone

The sparkling white ‘Honorine Jobert’ Japanese anemone begins flowering about the middle of September, and is a Judith Adam favourite. Its tall stature gives it architectural presence.