The height of summer and the garden is full of colour - hardy geraniums, delphiniums, gypsophila and roses, all intertwining to provide a picture of perfection in the borders. But come late July, August, it all goes a bit flat. Flowers have come and gone and the frustration begins. But a little careful planning and foresight can ensure colour not only through every summer month but into autumn and even winter. This wonderfully inspirational book, with its wealth of colour photographs, guides the reader through each season, highlighting the plants at their best and offering both container planting and border schemes to make the most of them. From spring bulbs through summer's herbaceous stars to autumnal asters and winter hellebores, author Richard Rosenfeld offers a visual feast of plants to choose from to ensure you have colour in your garden whatever the season. No longer do you need to look out at a bleak winter border: foliage, bark, berries and even flowers can be yours and the envy of your neighbours. Whilst underground lurk the bulbs and corms that will come to life with sumptuous colour in early spring and the roots and rhizomes of herbaceous perennials, waiting for a little warmth before they too spring to life with an almost overnight surge of foliar growth to be followed in early summer by a cacophony of colour. Full of ideas and inspiration, this is a must for all those planning their first garden or those just looking to extend the seasons with colour. - Lucy Watson
