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. For the same price as your vase of red roses that within a week are only fit for the compost heap, you could instead grow orchids on your windowsill, which carry a succession of flowers for three months.If that wasn't enough, it will even flower again about six

can join fungus forays around the country, going out with an experienced guide to marvel at these essential organisms that play such an important part in the natural composting cycle. Perhaps I should join a group and find out whether the fungi in my

 and John Innes No.3 loam-based compost. All this weight provides extra stability to prevent the trees catching the wind and toppling over. These acers are no more demanding than any plants in pots, and just need regular watering and feeding.The foliage

. The photograph featured here was taken last summer during my visit to the Mr Fothergill’s trial ground, and show mizuna, pak choi and other salad leaves.Salad leaves are some of the easiest crops to grow from seed in pots: just fill a pot with compost, sprinkle

? I have to crawl over it on my hands and knees a couple of times a year, digging out the worst offenders, then filling in holes with compost and a pinch of grass seed.The grass nearly wins this battle, but lawn weeds add colour and interest. It's all

down naturally. I'm hoping they'll return for an encore in 2009.I'll need to visit the garden centre this weekend to buy some compost. Should I walk past the display of pictorial bulb packs?

that really need to be planted in pots of compost rather than directly into the garden. Coming from warm and tropical regions of the world also means they enjoy warm growing conditions, so a greenhouse or conservatory really is helpful to provide

and get damaged. The nice thing about succulents is that any bits that do get broken off can usually be used as cuttings, rooting quickly in gritty, free-draining compost. Once established they can join the main display to extend the line

had an operation on my foot, preventing me from doing anything for three weeks except keep my foot up. This is very frustrating, especially as I keep looking down the garden and imagining the pots and compost on the greenhouse bench just waiting for me

, the 'magical material' - compost. "I never feed my plants, I feed the soil". Great advice.Well, with a list of jobs running to several pages by the end of Carol's programme, I certainly had a busy weekend planned. Her infectious enthusiasm rubbed off and I