GARDEN CARE
04 Ornamental garden
10 Kitchen garden
14 Greenhouse and indoor plants
PLANTS AND GARDENS
16 GARDEN VISIT: Rising to the challenge!
Pauline and Pat Hegarty's garden sits at the bottom of a valley of wooded hills on the outskirts of Clonmel in South Tipperary. It can be a challenging location as Pauline outlined to Shirley Lanigan.
22 PLANT PROFILE: Lady of the woods
Silver birch is a familiar tree, a tree of great elegance with its stately trunk and pendulous twigs. Ciaran Burke reviews the various kinds of garden birches.
28 FEATURE: Designs for Christmas!
Floral artist Carol Bone presents three festive flower arrangements - a table centre piece, welcome wreath and a showy amaryllis display in a pot.
37 FAVOURITE PLANT: Entertainer Mary Black
64 HEAD GARDENER: James Wharry is head gardener at Glenarm Castle, Co. Antrim.
67 HOUSE PLANT: Claire Woods features a new form of poinsettia.
GARDEN DESIGN and KNOW-HOW
32 DESIGN DESK: Shane O'Neill proposes a design for a large rural garden on a slope with a view.
38 KNOW-HOW: feedback from our readers
Ask a question about a gardening problem
Pass on a useful tip to other readers,
or tell us about your success story ... and win a prize!
Expert advice and ideas
Shirley Lanigan
Rachel Darlington
REFLECTIONS
46 GARDEN HISTORY: Mr Hodgins and his hollies
Seamus O'Brien tells the story of a famous Wicklow nurseryman.
59 NATURE GARDEN: Dick Warner writes about mushrooms and toadstools.
60 NOTEBOOK: Midlands Mary Waldron
Crocus, Yoshino cherry, kousa and Algerian iris
61 NOTEBOOK: South Brian Cross
Christmas rose, rhododendron, celastrus and tropaeolum
80 WEEKENDER: In the country with Mary Davies.
LIFESTYLE
52 STYLE ESSENTIALS: Lindie Naughton has compiled a selection of garden accessories and equipment with a seasonal flavour.
56 COOKING: Niall Murphy's recipes for Beetroot Soup, Mushroom and Nut Stuffing, Christmas Ice Cream and Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, and Caroline Byrne suggests a choice of Christmas wines.
70 GARDEN CENTRE EXPERIENCE: Mark Hanley won €300 worth of plants at Kinsealy Garden Centre, Co. Dublin.
FEATURES
50 FEATURE: Radharc Landscaping Company, Co. Galway.
74 Classified advertising
76 UPDATE and GARDEN CLUB NOTES - what's on around the country this month.
77 OVERLEAF books for the season with Mary Davies