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boost local insect populations by not using bug sprays and being less tidy in autumn (providing insects with somewhere to shelter over winter will ensure they survive to breed in spring). Planting native trees and shrubs will also provide food

startled in Dorset was probably a slow worm or grass snake (pictured above). These benign species often turn up in gardens, mostly in the south of England, and very rarely in the north. They bask in rockeries, feed in ponds and breed in compost heaps

entrance hole can make a fantastic substitute for many species. And birds won’t just breed in it – a well-placed box can also provide winter refuge for small species such as wrens. More than 60 species are known to use nest boxes, including blue tits, great

? If I grow buckthorn, maybe the brimstone butterfly will come in to breed. Or perhaps a patch of red clover will attract rare bumblebees.To avoid getting carried away, I’m narrowing the list down. Here are my Top 10 plants for a dream garden:Big cushions

'.I dug my mum her first pond 10 years ago, and although several frogs are often found sheltering in the water, and it's home to a gregarious family of smooth newts, we've never seen evidence of any breeding.The pond (now known as the 'deep pond') is too

.At the height of breeding season the blue tit returned, though was scared off by a pair of great tits, which visited several times a day. They snacked on peanuts and gathered caterpillars and aphids for their babies. Sadly, they didn't return with their fluffy

, so if you can save these jobs for spring, you'll probably help to increase numbers of these insects in your garden. They'll be more of them about to breed next spring and summer, so - theoretically at least - more food for their predators, including

they should be tolerated where possible, but there are three factors that make them undesirable residents of garden compost bins: •    they breed like the clappers and gather in large social groups•    they’re extremely clever and expert at tunnelling, so can