Plant this Brunneras are brilliant spring all-rounders for shadier spots, with starry, blue flowers and heart-shaped leaves. There are many eye-catching cultivars, including the green and cream-splotched B macrophylla ‘Hadspen Cream’, silvery ‘Looking Glass’ and silver-etched ‘Jack Frost’.
Try this Stooling is a technique used to cut willows, white-stemmed bramble (Rubus cockburnianus) and dogwoods back hard in spring, to prompt the growth of young stems. Now is the time to do it: cut back all stems to just above the base with a sharp pair of secateurs or a pruning saw. Repeat every year or two.
Visit this Show season kicks off with the Spring Launch and Orchid show from 8-10 April, in London. Buy everything from air plants to bonsai from specialist nurseries and see what’s in store for Chelsea. See rhs.org.uk/shows-events.
