Hot and sunny wall gardens are notoriously difficult to plant up successfully. So, what plants will survive these conditions?

Many factors influence micro-climates: some we can manipulate to our benefit, others we either have to live with or find ways to mitigate their influence. It is worth taking the trouble though because even the smallest change in conditions can have a significant impact.

The client’s brief to landscaper Jenny Dean was simple: change a tiny corner of their tiny Hillcrest estate garden to resemble a snapshot of their Namibian break  – red-tinged boulders to resemble a rock wall, gravel to echo stony ground, and a smattering of succulents and grasses in between.

Do you have a slope or bank ready to be dressed more creatively than the default retaining wall blocks or mown lawn? An eye-catching cocktail dress rather than a comfortable pair of jeans; a brightly coloured pashmina to replace a worn monotone windbreaker? Aside from adding a beautiful feature, this style detail/ element increases the sustainability of the garden too, for it saves on lawnmower fuel, provides level planting pockets for better water penetration, and provides h

Water wise species - and most gardeners interpret this label to mean plants that survive on little water - are currently the go-to plants...

Senecio barbertonicus creates height at the top of the bank.  A small to medium size shrub with a neatly rounded shape it has bright green n

Succulents jostle with each other in this vibrant show softened by the inclusion of grasses. The drooping fronds of grasses and the grasslan