Enjoy entertaining this holiday season in a beautiful and colourful summer garden

Before leaving on holiday, spend some time in your garden to ensure it will cope with your absence while you are away

When summer arrives, take advantage of glorious evenings by entertaining under the stars. Add to the experience by planting sweetly scented flowering plants near your patio.

Are your outdoor areas lacking the ‘wow’ factor? With a few simple tricks, you can impress friends and family this holiday season with a revamped and updated outdoor entertainment area.

Life is a garden and December is the time to plant up for that glorious time of hot, lazy days, dizzyingly bright colours and warm perfumed nights that is midsummer

Summer means outdoor entertaining on warmer evenings. Enhance your entertaining and enchant your guests by planting fragrant flowered plants around your patio.

November is the time to plant up your garden so that it will be beautiful for the summer holidays.

Life is a glorious summer garden filled with bright colour and interesting shapes. Joan Wright tells you how to make your summer garden more attractive with colourful flowers and plants with contrasting form

August it the time to start thinking about planning your summer borders, or even creating a brand new border

Useful plants that will provide your garden with extra days of glorious summer colour.

Give your garden the wow factor this holiday season by carrying out an instant garden makeover in a few easy steps

Whether you favour a patchwork of bright, vibrant colours, gentle pastel prettiness, or a sophisticated colour scheme, there are bedding plants to suit every garden.

Gazanias and marigolds are champions of the summer border - they are both tough plants that offer months of glorious colour

Bring vivid colour to the dull, shady areas of your garden this spring with beautiful begonias.

Life is a Garden picks eight of the best summer-flowering shrubs to add vitality and colour to your garden design at this time of the year.