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-powered hedge-trimmerSafety goggles, glovesString line and canesSecure ladder and/or work platform for tall hedgesMay - September15 minutes per metre run of hedge Use long bamboo canes to mark the top edge along one side of the hedge. Push the canes down

, some cannas, bamboo canes, most of a fruit cage, various rodents, many spiders and assorted half-empty paint pots. Bit of a mess, really - especially when compared to Adam's shed.What it doesn't contain is much in the way of chemicals. I'm not strictly

a hedge, invisible from the house. There are a number of metal plant supports widely available that link together, making enclosures for each plant. Wonders can also be achieved using bamboo canes and string. With larger borders it's often effective

elder (both common or garden and American, Sambuccus canadensis); bamboos (what’s good enough for pandas is good enough for us) and all the normal currants, raspberries etc. Finally a layer of perennials like cardoons, rhubarb, crambe or daylilies

wooden box filled with stems of sunflower, teasel and bamboo to make a solitary bee hotel.But that's no guarantee - wildlife can choose the most unpredictable places to live. This summer I visited some buff-tailed bumblebees nesting in a concrete path

at the back of my south-facing border, close to the wall where they'll be kept warm at night. As an experiment, one is planted in a bucket of semi-rotted compost, like a portable bean trench. All are staked with tall, strong bamboo canes. (They're only about 2

never got round to taking a picture of it 'before' and 'after'. All that has now changed.For the past 18 months, Paul Debois has been photographing my garden and allotment for Gardeners World magazine, and I've been really inspired by watching him work

Light' reaches 1.7m in height. It looks particularly stunning by water.Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'An interesting, unusual plant from the deserts of Mexico, bearing clouds of tiny leaves on arching stems. Requiring little water or maintenance

before lighting them, preferably making the pile on the day you intend to light it. If you find a baby hedgehog in autumn, take it in and keep it warm. Feed it with cat or dog food and water, but don't release it until it weighs at least 450g (1lb). Visit