Author Tom Brown
Tom Brown

Tom Brown

As head gardener at West Dean College in West Sussex, Tom Brown has an avid enthusiasm for great, garden-worthy plants. Tom is also an RHS Show Judge and Herbaceous Committee Member.

Recent articles by Tom Brown
December flowers: Camellia sasanqua 'Crimson King'

Great flowers and plants for the garden in December picked by head gardeners

The best December flowers and foliage from winter interest plants chosen for structure, colour and texture in the garden. Photographs Jason Ingram
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Silk Wood in autumn, Westonbirt Arboretum,

Gardens to visit in November for glorious autumn colour

Head gardener Tom Brown recommends the gardens to visit the month of November to see seasonal plants at their best
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November flowers: Acaena microphylla ‘Kupferteppich’

The best plants for November

There's plenty of ways to find colour and contrast in the garden on November days. Here Tom Brown and Fleur van Zonneveld pick the best plants for November. Photographs Jason Ingram and Maayke de Ridder
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Visitors at the minack an open air theatre near Porthcurno in Cornwall,

Gardens can look great in October – here are the best gardens to visit this month for beautiful autumn blooms

Head gardener Tom Brown recommends gardens and places to see seasonal plants and flowers at their best
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Alstroemeria Indian Summer 'Tesronto'

The perfect flowers for October

The flowers that are blooming bright this October month are warm and vibrant to help ease the transition to cooler days. Head gardener Tom Brown and nurserywoman Fleur van Zonneveld choose the plants they love. Photographs Jason Ingram and Maayke de Ridder
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August flowers: Gladiolus 'Sylvia'

The best plants for August

As summer reaches its peak Tom Brown, the head gardener at West Dean Gardens, picks his favourite August flowers. Photographs Jason Ingram
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York Gate Garden

Gardens to visit in August: the green spaces that will look perfect at this exact time of year

Want to see August flowers in full bloom? Head to these gardens and nurseries
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Echinacea 'Aloha'

The best plants for July

Discover some of the best July flowers and plants including a graceful daylily and a dwarf, claret sunflower
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Helianthus 'Ms Mars' (Sunflower)

The best summer flowers to plant

Make sure you've got the perfect blooms in the garden for summer. Tom Brown, head gardener and tutor at West Dean College, recommends his favourites.
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The Gravel Garden at Beth Chatto's Garden in Spring.

Be inspired by these beautiful gardens to visit that will look their best in June

Gardeners Tom Brown and Asa Gregers-Warg recommend the best gardens to visit in June to see plants in full flower
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Matthiola incana 'Lucinda Red'

Red flowers for the garden

Designing your planting layout with colour is a satisfying way of creating your garden. Here's a selection of red plants, chosen by experts, that we love
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The River Arrow at Coughton Court, Warwickshire

Gardens to visit that will look beautiful in September: the best garden spots this month

Recommended places
 to see seasonal plants at their best
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Clematis ‘Étoile Rose’. A delightful, semi-nodding clematis. The flowers range in colour from deep pink to pale mauve, and have silvery-pink margins that curve slightly, with the centres a darker shade of pink. A more vigorous type that can be used to enhance a large shrub or to cover a sizeable wall or fence. 2.5m. RHS H4.

Herbaceous clematis: choosing and growing the best herbaceous clematis

Non-climbing herbaceous clematis are useful in any border, climbing over their neighbours, spilling from raised beds and tumbling on to paths. Tom Brown, head gardener at West Dean Gardens, explains how to grow them and recommends some of the best. Photographs by Dianna Jazwinski
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