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, making box balls is a great way to start. Box is the ideal topiary plant, and a simple sphere will allow you to try out the basic techniques and see the results quickly. Simply buy a tray of rooted cuttings and follow our instructions. It will take around

. Topiary does not always have to be dignified; box balls add bounce as well as formality, peacocks are always fun; a very eminent landscape architect even clipped a complete tea set into his front hedge (including sugar lumps).Box hedges are unbelievably

. Water well and regularly trim and tie in shoots.More on growing bulbsHow to make a box ballAdvice on shaping topiaryMake a spiral plant supportHow to make an ivy heart

miscanthus and imperata, several Japanese maples in large pots, a striking Hosta nigrescens, and a nicely clipped box ball, to name but a few. All have their place, growing and changing as the year progresses.Of course I have pots of flowers, too, but it

A friend of mine recently found a juvenile hedgehog. It was curled in a ball in the middle of the road, with cars whizzing past. Had my friend not been in the right place at the right time, this young hoglet would almost certainly have met a sticky

Birds love fat cakes and at this time of year they are just what they need to give them energy and keep warm. But the feeding balls needn't be shop bought; you can use all sorts of kitchen scraps such as cheese and dry porridge oats. Just mix

building a garden for Laurent Perrier. Tom has won seven gold medals and is a master at designing show gardens. He has some spectacular drystone walls, some glorious birch trees and some of the largest box balls known to man.Next door to him is Andy