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flowers work wonders bringing in pollinators like bees, hoverflies and butterflies.Vic has told me to help myself to his sweet peas and I have - very freely! It's far better to keep picking them regularly than let them go to seed as they stop flowering

as these lovely, helpful insects I've also got a good smattering of the not-so-helpful varieties of wildlife, such as slugs, snails, chafer beetles and assorted aphids.I've also spotted a few cabbage white butterflies hovering around my brassicas. It's hard

brassicas this summer. Steve’s almost perished in the onslaught. Mine, despite horrendous neglect, survived to produce some lovely sprouts – probably down to the fact that the weed growth masked the plants from the cabbage white butterflies' attentions

. bonariensis too, with bees and butterflies flitting from flower to flower all summer.I've spotted several local authorities using V. bonariensis in flower displays on roundabouts, so that's a sure endorsement of its reliability and performance

Last year I wrote a blog about cuckoo spit, in which I documented the fauna that had appeared in my garden after I had transformed it from a paved courtyard. I celebrated the arrival of butterflies, birds, froghopper nymphs and moths, but was less

' x3Marguerite 'Butterfly'Plectranthus forsteri 'Marginatus' x3Verbena 'Peaches and Cream' x5Fertiliser and water-retaining gel30cm rattan basketCompostSnip a few holes in the basket's plastic liner for drainage, then support the basket in a bucket

borders.Verbena bonariensis works well in a number of garden settings, such as cottage and contemporary gardens, due to its height and airy appearance. It's also beneficial for attracting wildlife, particularly butterflies.Growing tall on strong, wiry

it's not legal, but I'm not aware of anyone being prosecuted for it.I attended a wildlife gardening conference recently, where one of the speakers, Jan Miller, author of Gardening for Butterflies, Bees and other benificial insects gave a presentation

Jekka McVicar's 10 companion plantsJekka McVicar's organic herb garden achieved a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show 2009. We caught up with her at the show to discover her top 10 herbs for growing as companion plants.Companion planting

nutritious for both other plants and humans.Follow our tips on putting nettles to good use - but be sure to wear gloves at all times when handling them.For a basic soup you'll need about 200g of fresh nettle tips. Add 450g of potatoes, peeled and cubed, a