Spring bulb displays are less predictable than summer flowers, and it can be especially disappointing when different bulbs planted in the same windowbox flower at different times. The consolation is that this does at least extend the interest. A good alternative is to plant single-subject displays which, although often brief, are frequently bolder.

Make sure that there are drainage holes, and add a layer of material to aid quick drainage, such as broken pots or pieces of chipped bark (normally sold for mulching).

Add enough potting soil to cover the bottom couple of centimeters (about an inch). As the bulbs do not need a lot of nutrients during the winter, you can often use some of the potting mixture previously used for summer bedding.

You can pack in more bulbs by planting in layers. Place large bulbs such as daffodils or tulips at the lower level.

Add more potting soil, then position the smaller bulbs, such as crocuses and scillas. Try to position them so that they lie between the larger bulbs. Be careful about the bulbs that you mix - small crocuses will be swamped by tall daffodils, so choose miniature or dwarf daffodils, to keep a suitable balance.

Top up with more potting soil, but leave about an inch of space at the top for watering and perhaps for decorative mulch. As the windowbox will look bare for some months, a few winter pansies will add a touch of interest. Don’t worry about the bulbs beneath - they will find their way through the pansies.

By Tamara Galbraith

Anyone who's studied landscaping knows the value of silver-leafed plants. Mostly, they serve to brighten a dark area, but can also provide a lovely contrast to purple foliage plants.

One of the most beautiful and carefree silver plants has got to be artemisia, commonly known by its ghastly herbal name of wormwood. Although Artemisia absinthium -- the main ingredient in Absinthe -- has the naughty reputation of driving Vincent Van Gogh to madness, the other varieties are really something every gardener should have, especially those struggling with drought conditions.

Artemisia ludoviciana, for example, includes the 'Valerie Finnis' cultivar, with beautiful upright, silver-green, tarragon-like foliage. Artemisia schmidtiana is the gorgeous, soft 'Silver Mound' type. Artemisia stelleriana 'Silver Brocade' is pretty much just like the more commonly known Dusty Miller, but fuzzier.

Given too-perfect conditions, like lean soil and lots of sun, artemisia can take over an area quickly, however. 'Powis Castle' and the aforementioned 'Valerie Finnis' can be especially aggressive, so trim regularly. Planting in heavy clay soils also seems to keep them in check. Most artemisias are hardy to USDA Zone 5; some remain evergreen in mild climates.

While artemisia may not turn you into a classic painter, it will certainly bring silvery, hardy beauty to your landscape. Give it a try.

By Tamara Galbraith

Let's see: a virtually carefree plant that needs little water, has beautiful foliage and long spikes of gorgeous purple and white furry flower spikes that bloom in the fall and bring the hummingbirds and butterflies out in droves? Where do I sign up?

At the Salvia leucantha fan club! Better known as Mexican bush sage, this shrubby perennial will bring years of enjoyment and color to your fall landscape.

Blooming from mid- to late summer until frost, this unique salvia will generally die back to the ground, but return in the spring. In warmer climates, it may even stay evergreen; if so, cut the plant back to about one foot high in the fall after bloom is finished to keep it in check.

As its common name suggests, Mexican bush sage loves dry, hot conditions, so don't pamper it with lots of water and/or fertilizers. Well-drained soil is a must, and alkaline soil (add Kellogg Gromulch if your soil is acidic) is preferred.

By Tamara Galbraith

According to an article in the Washington Post few years ago, Americans are eating five times more fresh spinach than we did in the 1970s. And forget about the canned, slimy stuff Popeye downed in one shot back in the old days; we now prefer our spinach fresh. So...why not grow your own?

A relatively shallow-rooted vegetable--thus ideal for container culture--spinach likes temperatures in the 50-60 degree range...which is why areas with mild winters are such popular places to grow it in the fall, if not year-round.

If you're starting your spinach from seed, soak the seeds in a plastic baggie overnight in the refrigerator before planting. This will soften the hard coating of the seed and allow better germination.

While growing, use lots of compost, mulch well, and watch for insects, as they especially like to hide in the cracks of crinkly spinach types.

In The Kitchen Garden:
1. Plant cabbages for spring harvesting
2. Thin late-sown lettuces for winter harvesting
3. Continue to earth-up celery and leeks
4. Lift and store potatoes
5. Protect late cauliflowers from frost by bending surrounding leaves over the heads
6. Cut the dead tops off asparagus
7. Use cloches to protect vulnerable vegetables
8. Start winter digging on heavy soils
9. Pot up some herbs for winter use
10. Pick and store apples when ready
11. Take black currant cuttings
12. Prune black currants, gooseberries and raspberries
13. Cover late-fruiting strawberries with cloches to extend the season
14. Plant bare-root fruit bushes and trees
The Flower Garden:
1. Make a new lawn from turf
2. Give an established lawn, autumn lawn care treatment. We suggest you use Dr. Earth Super Natural Lawn Food.
3. Plant roses
4. Plant bare-root and balled trees and shrubs
5. Plant herbaceous plants
6. Divide over-large herbaceous plants
7. Clear summer bedding
8. Plant spring bulbs
9. Take in tender fuchsias and pelargoniums
10. Protect vulnerable plants
The Greenhouse:
1. Clean and disinfect, get ready for winter
2. Insulate
3. Remove yellowing and dead leaves from plants- pick them off the pot as well as the plant
4. Check that heaters are working properly
5. Ventilate whenever the weather is mild enough