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It was definitely NOT the best year to choose to grow large numbers of sweet potatoes, but yes, it was the year that I did so! I adore that ridiculously toffee-like taste and texture of roasted sweet potatoes. Perfection, an apricot

The very mention of the word 'tree' causes some gardeners to twitch nervously. Who can possibly have space in a small, modern garden for a tree, let alone two? Well, I think everyone has, provided they choose the right ones. I've enjoyed reading

is so unexpected and so swift that you're only able to take six plants from your existing garden.So which six plants will you choose? Will you go for something big - a favourite cherry or a noble oak? Maybe an evergreen to liven up your winter? A rose

, let alone a tree - I know of herbaceous plants that achieve that height in a season. It's difficult to choose a tree that is guaranteed not to get any bigger than the height of a short giraffe, but here is a small selection that roughly fits the bill

of damage. They tend to feed on exposed areas of the foliage, so it's not too difficult to spot and remove them before they've decimated the plants.Of course, you may not want to remove them from your prized plants. Some gardeners choose to leave them be

Shade is probably one of the most challenging situations for plants to flourish in. Whether it's buildings, walls, fences, shrubs or trees, on the south side your plants bask in full sun but on the north side they'll be in cooler shade. Choosing

animals are transient, they come, they go; but wild plants ... they come, they stay, they get in the way, they interfere, and they compete with the flowers and vegetables we choose to grow. I think this attitude to 'weeds' is grossly unfair, so here

this method for sowing seeds saved from your own dahlia plants at the end of the previous season.10cm pot or seed trayMulti-purpose compost Dahlia seedsPlant label and pencilClear polythene bag and rubber band (for pot) or propagator lid (for seed tray

A client of mine said something curious to me this week, as we were discussing what to plant in her newly-landscaped garden: "I hope you're not going to give me any of those ghastly cabbagey things".Strangely, I instantly knew that she was talking

on other varieties. Are they just more challenging to grow well?So, flicking through the 2008 seed catalogues to choose a selection of tomatoes to grow this summer I'll ignore the beefsteak tomatoes, particularly any new varieties, and concentrate