Hello autumn!

The season for planting bulbs is just starting and before you know it, you’ll be rewarded with months of blooming colour...

Many varieties start to flower in August – think dri s of freesias, jonquils, hyacinths, clivias and snowdrops. Before long, daffodils, tulips, bluebells, Dutch irises, crocuses and ranunculi will join the party. Then, heralding summer, up pop glorious gladdies, bearded irises, November lilies and hippeastrums. So if you do nothing else this month, go big on bulbs – check out our fab reader offer on page 86 – they’re every gardener’s friend, delivering maximum impact from a modest start. We’ve a guide for planting and nurturing your spring bloomers plus essential landscaping and container tips.

For those of you gripped with baking fever, or if you simply enjoy making sweat treats for the fam, we’ve got you covered – you can rustle up a batch of streusel muffins, master a frangipane tart, make an a ernoon date with a French apple cake with rum-infused icing or even whip up rico a donuts with homemade passionfruit syrup (page 44). My personal fave is the fig, fennel and cinnamon pull-apart bread, which I’m reliably informed is even be er the next day, warmed in a jaffle maker. I wouldn’t know, it didn’t last that long...

If you’re feeling the urge to gut your kitchen and embark on the design of your forever kitchen (even if you’re in the dreaming stage like me) our 24-page special (page 14) is a veritable gallery of ideas to suit every taste and budget. It is my wish that it will help you fine tune what your new kitchen looks like and how it functions for you, your family and lifestyle. If you were to ask me which I prefer, I couldn’t say, I’ll leave that challenge to you. But if affordability is key, check out the sensational flatpack and pre-loved kitchens. Enjoy the issue! PS Don’t forget to enter our Garden of the Year Competition on page 11.