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It's that time of year again when sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea and a seed catalogue is much more inviting than going outside and cleaning the greenhouse, raking up leaves or - as I found last Sunday - removing diseased, mummified plums from

, cleaning them off and spraying some oil around. There are certain tools without which I cannot cope and others which I hardly ever use. Among my favourites are:1. My small border fork and spade, which are perfect for planting and diddling around.2. A steel

Brambles are the unsung heroes of the fruit garden.A couple of weeks ago I was spring cleaning my store cupboard when I found a stray jar of blackberry jam trapped behind the mountain of marmalade. The pleasure I got when we opened it for breakfast

What a spring we're having. Provisional Met Office reports suggest April was the warmest on record. It was also the 11th driest, based on average rainfall across the UK. Scotland's rainfall has been 110% above normal levels, while the South-East has

board as a trimming guide and cut down through the turf for a clean edge.Edge out lawn weedsThe best way to weed a path is to get down on your knees and do it by hand. Use a kneeling pad or a low seat if it helps. Arm yourself with a sharp knife

of different reasons, but for those who dream of 'rus in urbe', having the countryside in the town, the reality is that growing your own veg is going to require a regular commitment of around 10-12 hours a week in the busy season. Think about this before you

them down unthinkingly.  Artichokes are to be savoured layer by layer.Paolo Arrigo, promoter of all things Italian in the UK, told me of a simple way to cook artichokes as they do in Rome:1)   Run eight artichokes under water to clean, then cut

fledglings and there hasn't been sight nor sound of them since. Nevertheless, there is expensive bird seed in clean, disease-free feeders should they, or their fledglings, want it.The thing about bird seed is there is such a huge range to choose from

no birds, despite the sparkling clean feeders and expensive food I put out for them.I'm pleased to report that this has all changed. What's more, my garden has become a battle ground. When the snow came in December, a robin and blackbird tentatively started

and shape of its flowers.The day before you intend to pollinate your plant, cut at least one fully open flower from the father plant, making sure it has 2.5cm (1in) of stem. Bring this flower into the house and float it in a shallow bowl of water overnight