how to garden now

1 the mobile meadow

We all dream of fields full of flowers but Isabelle Palmer, @thebalconygardener and author of Modern Container Gardening (£16, Hardie Grant), has a way to get the look in miniature. She cuts circles of wild flower turf (from pictorialmeadows.co.uk) to fit compost-filled pots. ‘The turf is easy to establish and these containers will attract bees and butterflies,’ says Isabelle.

2 the retro plant

Conifers, those mid-century stalwarts, are making a return, thanks to gardeners such as Matt Keightley, Charlotte Harris and Fergus Garrett, but it’s all about context. At Great Dixter, Fergus grows them in the Exotic Garden alongside supersize tropical plants including bananas and