Ceratostigma willmottianum takes the very sensible precaution of becoming herbaceous in severe winters. The first time this happened I assumed the worst, and was just about to plant a very expensive replacement in the same position when I noticed bright scarlet buds poking through the soil, which on investigation proved to be the timorous ceratostigma.

A hot sun-baked position in a well-drained, rather starved soil seems to be most suitable. By shortening back the season’s growths to 4 or 5 buds in August and giving a dressing of high potash fertiliser, reluctant prima donnas can often be persuaded to bring forth something more than a travesty of blossom.

Choisya ternata is an elegant glossy-leaved evergreen which in early spring exhibits the delicately fragrant, creamy-white flowers which earn it the name of Mexican Orange Blossom. It should be planted near a much-used path or door where there is shelter and a free-draining soil so that the distillation can be enjoyed when mild weather persuades blossoming.

The ebullient, irrepressable Chaenomeles japonica is dazzling in flower, cheerfully ugly the rest of the year. I would always have one plant about the place somewhere but I prefer them trained onto a wall. By pruning back the young growth right through the summer a mass of plump flower buds are formed the full length of the spurs.

The latest and hottest appliance that people are snapping up for the home and garden this year is the pressure washer. It’s turned out to be a very smart buy depending on what you will be using it for once you get it home.

While you might not realize this, using a pressure washer at home can cut some of your outdoor tasks in half time wise, always a good thing when you’re trying to keep up with a clean car, the garden, the lawn and the dog pen all at once. The force of the smaller at home pressure washers isn’t equal to the ones used by professionals, but they definitely get the job done, and fast.

The first handy tip that you will need to know is to keep your distance from the surface you want to wash down. Oh, this isn’t to avoid you getting hosed, it’s to prevent water damage to the surface you’re intending to clean. So, basically only get closer if you need to.

In moments of forgetfulness many gardeners still refer to hebe as veronica and, no matter what name we give them, most hail from New Zealand and are not entirely hardy in every garden. The majority flower white or a milky blue. A well-drained, not too rich soil is the best, and in my garden shelter from the dehydrating east winds of early spring is necessary.

Native of the sun-warmed lands of Spain and Portugal though Halimium lasianthum is, it will still suffer our climate with equanimity given a well-drained soil and full exposure to our rather pallid sunshine. The smoke-grey leaves show the bright yellow flowers to good effect. Cuttings root easily if taken in July – August. I also find if the roots can penetrate under a stone or paving slab the shrub is longer lived.

Hamamelis is a shrub of immense value and beauty for in February the dark branches are festooned with the yellow spider-like flowers and in autumn the foliage colours, unless the weather is impossibly wet, to a deep red. I grow three bushes of Hamamelis japonica arborea beside the silver stems of a group of birch and most years they flower for weeks on end. The scent, so much a part of this bush, seems to be much stronger after dark so that in the bright moonlight of February I need no encouragement to take my evening walk making sure that it includes that part of the woodland.

Callicarpa giraldiana is enjoyinga sudden burst of respect now that it has been discovered by the flower arrangers. I have grown it for 14 years in a secluded corner where it has made a modest bush 3 ft. high. In the summer it goes unnoticed but as the leaveiturn soft rose pink and the bright lilac, seemingly artificial berries appear, the charm becomes more assertive. Good drainage and an extra ration of potash as well as the fish fertiliser all my shrubs expect each year, are small frecompense for the rather unusual contribution this shrub makes to the panoply of autumn.

However, where suitable shelter from cutting east winds or late frost can be given they do make a lovely show, for though reasonably hardy in leaf, the flower buds are easily damaged. Like the rhododendrons they positively decline any but an acid soil which is rich in organic matter, leafmould, or peat.

Except in the most favoured localities it is wiser to concentrate on varieties of Camellia japonica such as Adolphe Audusson, blood red, semi double; donckelarii, large crimson blooms flecked with white; elegans, deep peach pink, very large; and Lady Clare which is soft pink and although its rather spreading branches are often damaged under heavy snow, it is lovely as a wall plant.

There are many different types of species that eat up houseplants. There are also a few found in almost all areas.

The first type of common houseplant pests are so tiny you cannot even see them with your eyes, though their damage can become obvious, bacteria.

Rotting roots is a common type of problem with plants that are victim of over watering. Some forms of rot are the result of fungi that grow as a result of over water. The excess moisture aids the growth of bacteria found in the soil that already live in the soil and can be beneficial in small amounts. Once they get to a certain size, the attack the roots and they get transported up into the body of the plant and the leaves. This can quickly kill even the healthiest plant.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, is applicable here. Simply watch how much you water your plants and when. How much water is the right amount, when it best time to water and this will vary from one species to another. You need to research the different types of needs your plant may have.