The calming power of nature is huge and all you have to do is immerse yourself in it - and it is free!

Planting up pots and containers are the big thing nowadays and nothing could be simpler

Top tips for the perfect climbing plants for your garden

Perennials are fairly trouble free once they become established

At this stage growing conditions are close to ideal so definitely get out there and sow

All summer plants will need new compost as last year’s will have been depleted of food and there might be a buildup of pests or diseases

Growing vegetables would have at one time been regarded as down in the social scale of gardening but it has been elevated to a higher level

This month is a period of relative calm in which to get aspects of the garden going, such as preparing areas ready for vegetables and flowers but holding back on planting those that are not frost hardy

Anyone who is interested can be good at gardening and in time earn the coveted title of ‘Green Fingers’

There is no doubt that a winter garden during our long dull days is quite beautiful and can mesmerise anyone who visits one

There are plants in the garden which might have looked insignificant before but now are coming into their own with coloured berries, stems or flowers

The Winter Solstice is one of the oldest winter celebrations dating from pagan times

I have gathered natural materials to provide decorations later on, and these include sprigs of holly, pine and larch, cones, some mossy twigs, scarlet willow, ivy and fir branches

Native plants such as the guelder rose and spindle provide reliable orange-red colours and also have berries to complement the show

There are a whole range of possible fruiting plants that you can grow in your garden

It is very satisfying to be able to pick some fruit from your own garden and eat them immediately

Melanie Dool in association with Orchardstown Garden Centre

If you love tulips and daffodils in spring they must be planted about six months ahead

With a little patience you will have the best of both worlds, which can mean a sea view garden with many pretty flowers

All gardens need some management otherwise they become unkempt and generally neglected

The vast majority of plants that we grow in our gardens are alien or non-native and are well-behaved

From pretty rock roses to swathes of floating lavender, here are some delightful plants for dry and coastal conditions