Magnolia x soulangeana (magnolia) was £24.99 now £14.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moist, well-drained, acidic soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: April to May Hardiness: fully hardy One of the most popular magnolias, with large, dark green leaves that start to appear in mid spring, at about the same time as the huge, deep rose-pink or white, goblet-shaped flowers. This is a good magnolia for smaller gardens, as it remains a shapely shrub for many years, and even when it is mature, is a manageable small tree. Garden care: Requires minimal pruning. Remove any broken, diseased or crossing branches in midsummer. The best time to plant is in April, adding plenty of peat to the planting hole, in a sheltered spot. Mulch in spring with manure and leafmould, especially on dry soils.

Nephrolepis exaltata (Boston fern) £7.99
Position: bright, indirect light Soil: fertile: good potting compost Rate of growth: average Hardiness: tender (indoors only) Current height: approximately 40cm (including pot) Pot covers: choose a 14cm pot cover to give a good fit over the pot. Home care: Water regularly in the growing season – less in winter and in areas of low humidity, mist the leaves with water on a regular basis, or place the pot on pebbles in a tray filled with water. Maintain temperatures above 10C in winter and avoid summer temperatures above 25C. Repot in spring when the plant becomes root-bound.

Corokia cotoneaster (wire-netting bush) was £14.99 now £12.99
Position: full sun Soil: fertile, well drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: late spring Flower colour: yellow Hardiness: frost hardy An interesting plant that offers a sculptural form in the winter garden with a tangle of black twisted stems, feathered with small dark green leaves coated in a soft silvery down. This intriguing plant needs a sunny sheltered spot, protected from cold drying winds, and space to be appreciated. In late spring as an added bonus it can have star-shaped fragrant yellow flowers followed by red or yellow berries in the autumn. Garden care: Will tolerate hard pruning to restrict shape if needed. This can be done in early spring after any risk of late frosts or after flowering.

Crocus potato fork £59.99
If you are going to do even a small amount of work in the garden, it’s better to use a tool that feels good in the hand. The old fashioned D-shaped handle is made from Beech and has been shaped and sanded so that it feels like it was made just for you (the key is the way they ’round’ the insides of the D). These tools are the result of our collaboration with Bulldog tools. Bulldog have a deserved reputation for the robust, no-nonsense, it-does-what-it-says-on-the- -tin garden staple. The metal they use is forged steel which, like all traditional tools, is immensely durable and will develop a lovely rust coloured patina over time. So not only are they incredibly robust- feeling nice and heavy in the hand – they’ll make light work of hard graft and will be your companion for many years to come. Height:995mm Width: 200mm

Viola ‘Miracle Barley Pink’ (Miracle Series) (violet) was £5.99 now £2.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average to fast-growing Flowering period: February to March Hardiness: fully hardy Quickly spreading to form a semi-evergreen carpet that looks impressive when planted en-masse – particularly if interspersed with spring-flowering woodland bulbs. The white-eyed, soft pink flowers have a light scent and can be cut for posies. Garden care: Incorporate lots of well-rotted leaf mould or garden compost when planting. Protect young plants from slug-damage using environmentally friendly slug pellets or beer traps. Deadhead the spent blooms to prolong flowering.

Acer rubrum Redpointe ‘Frank Jr.’ (PBR) (red maple) £49.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained neutral to acid soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: April to May Other features: brilliant red in autumn tints Hardiness: fully hardy Garden care: Add a top-dressing of a multi-purpose fertiliser around the base of the plant in late spring. No routine pruning is required, just remove any dead, damaged or crossing branches in late autumn or winter when they are fully dormant.

potato ‘Rocket’ (PBR) (potato – extra early salad, Scottish basic seed potato) was £2.49 now £1.24
Position: sun-partial shade Soil: fertile, well drained Rate of growth: fast-growing Harvesting period: early to mid June Hardiness: protect tubers from frost ‘Rocket’ is a very heavy cropping variety with pure white flesh, which is waxy and soft at first digging. Many customers have been delighted by the earliness, ease of culture and size of crop. It also has good all round disease resistance including golden eelworm. Garden care: As soon as the potato tubers have been delivered you should unpack them and start the chitting (sprouting) process. Place them in single layer in a seed tray without compost and leave in a light, cool area protected from frost. This can be started about six weeks before you intend to plant them. Early varieties can be planted out under frost fleece protection, but the later varieties should be planted after the worst frosts have passed in your area – this is generally mid March to mid April. Dig a trench 8 – 13cm (3 – 5in) deep adding a general purpose fertiliser to the bottom of the trench. Plant the potato tubers in the trenches about 30cm (12in) apart, being careful not to knock the shoots off the tubers, and keeping the shoots facing upwards. Then lightly cover with soil. As the plants get to around 20cm (8in) tall you need to bank up the soil around the plant, so the soil covers the bottom two thirds of the plant. Watering your plants well will help improve crop yield and discourage potato scab.

Hippeastrum ‘Christmas Gift’ (amaryllis bulb) was £3.99 now £2.99
Position: bright but not in full sun Soil: moderately fertile, well-drained soil or in loam-based compost, such as John Innes no2, with additional leaf mould and sharp sand Rate of growth: average Hardiness: frost tender (will need winter protection) Bulb Size: 26/28 Slightly ruffled, creamy white petals with a green-flushed eye, form sumptuous trumpet-shaped flowers in winter. A wonderful gift for a green-fingered friend, these bulbs are easy to grow in pots. General care: Fill a pot with good quality potting compost, setting the bulb in the compost so that the top two thirds are exposed. Water the compost only when the surface is dry, watering too much just after potting can cause the bulb to rot. Keep the plant in a sunny spot, though not direct sun and rotate the plant so as to avoid the flower stalk leaning towards the light. General care: Before planting make sure the supplied compost is moist but not waterlogged. Place half the compost in the pot and then sit the bulb on top (pointy side up). Fill in with the remaining compost so the upper third of the bulb is exposed. Water sparingly and place in a bright, warm position (indoors). Keep the compost moist but not waterlogged at all times and rotate the pot every so often to keep it growing straight. The stem may need support when the flowers start to bloom. Once flowering has finished cut off the flower stalk 5-10cm above the bulb – don’t cut off the foliage. Water when the surface of the compost is dry and feed regularly with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Usually the best thing to do is keep watering it through the summer and in autumn stop watering and move to a dark, dim spot. This stimulates the drought season of the plant’s native South America. Allow it to dry out for a few months so that the foliage wilts and dies back. In November bring it back in to the light and start watering again. Old foliage should be removed though take care not to cut any new shoots off. In a few weeks a new flower shoot will appear and flower just in time for Christmas.

Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Orange Storm’ (PBR) (flowering quince) £14.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil: moderately fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: fast-growing Flowering period: March to May Hardiness: fully hardy A new form of flowering quince, which stands out from the crowd with its large bright orange flowers. This easy to grow deciduous shrub will make an undemanding addition to a mixed border, but can also be used to create a informal hedge. The slender, thorn-free stems can also be tied onto a framework and trained flat(ish) against a wall. Garden care: After flowering prune side shoots to five or six leaves and remove crossing or ill-placed stems. Once established remove excess growth in late spring or summer and cut back all side shoots to two or three leaves.

Agastache ‘Cotton Candy’ (PBR) (hyssop) was £8.99 now £7.99
Position: full sun Soil: well-drained, fertile soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: July to October Hardiness: frost hardy (may need winter protection) A new member of the hyssop group, this is a showy and long-flowering perennial that looks great, and will attract lots of bees and butterflies to the garden. The 2-lipped tubular flowers are a soft pink, but are held on the stems by darker pink calyces, so the effect is quite jaunty. A classic for the herbaceous border or wildlife garden, where it will mix easily with a wide range of colours. Garden care: Don’t cut back the faded flower-stems in until early spring, as they provide interest in the winter months. Lift and divide congested colonies in spring.