Plant garlic cloves now (2 inches deep and 6 inches apart) in a sunny position in well- drained soil. Supermarket or vegetable shop garlic is acceptable if it's plump and unblemished.
Garden centres are full of lily bulbs. Most types do very well in pots, a blessing for gardeners: not only are they less accessible to slugs and snails but they are also easily moved around to fill gaps in the summer border or to make groupings on patio or steps. Use a large clay pot if possible (plastic pots are liable to tip over in the wind when the flowers have opened). Cover the drainage hole with crocks (bits of broken pots) and put in a small dollop of well-rotted manure. Fill with a mixture of soil-based compost and grit (the latter so that the bulbs have good drain- age). Use three or five bulbs per pot and dress the top with grit or gravel.