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My first job when I moved into my flat last August was to remove the paving stones in the back yard. Now, after five months of having a building site for a garden, I have bought myself some Christmas topsoil, and I'm itching to get seed sowing

year before setting seed and dying.)This was no mean feat: I moved house twice, then turned its final resting place - my new little courtyard - into a building site for six months while transforming it into a garden.With each flagstone and bag of sand I

spring bulbs. I've no idea where they're all going to go.Last year's spring bulb display went a bit wrong. In March my garden was a muddy building site and the daffodils I grew in pots looked a bit out of place. When I planted my containers of alliums

, and - in extreme situations - lead to erosion. In the wild, plants quickly colonise exposed earth, protecting its structure and absorbing the nutrients that would otherwise be washed away. A green manure does the same thing; you just have control over what grows

their fence', while the local council kills established plants at their base, leaving dead stems and leaves on buildings.But a study, commissioned by English Heritage, has proved that ivy can actually protect walls. Professor Heather Viles, who conducted

dedicated to wildlife.At times, I felt I was looking in the mirror at a South American version of myself. Unlike Fabiana, I doubt I will ever be in the position of having to commission the building of a water tower, but I can empathise with her desire