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and enable the detergent to clean dishes/clothes. Surfactants, which are also present in some weedkillers, are very bad for amphibians.As for the wildlife, the insects are doing very well, but for how long if it stays dry? Nectar levels in plants

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

be dark and droopy and rapidly on its way to becoming complete mush. There is no chance of any more flowers until next summer. So cut down your plants and dig up the conglomeration of dangling tubers you will find underground. Clean off as much of the wet

seed sowing. My sowing list includes greenhouse tomatoes, chillies and sweet peppers, plus a few half-hardy bedding varieties – all plants that benefit from early sowing and a long growing season.My plan for the week involves something of a spring clean

. Remember to keep your growing conditions as super-clean as you can.

always gives me trugs-full of raspberries to take home to turn into jam. Regular as clockwork, John turns up at the plot Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Sunday mornings he is also there. On Saturday he never fails to clean out his bird cages. It won

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

overheating on the hottest days.OrientationEnsure there is at least 1m of space all around your structure. Not only does this make putting it up easier, but it’s useful when panes or covers need replacing, and when cleaning or simply walking past. Leaving