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How to make a lavender bath bagFollow Monty Don's guide to creating a lavender gardenTaking lavender cuttings

.While this verbena is often classed as a perennial, most gardeners treat it as an annual. Old plants can be cut down to their base each winter, and new shoots do often develop the following spring. However, for a reliable display (like the one shown in the picture

with a striking monotone contrast.SeptemberNovember - February20 minutesDogwood, Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'Snowdrop bulbs, Galanthus nivalis x12Lilyturf, Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'Very large, tall potJohn Innes No. 3 compost

'Heuchera 'Licorice' x3Salvia x superba 'Merleau' x2Viola x2 Large tin bathDrillCrocksGood-quality, loam-based compostDrill several evenly spaced holes in the bottom of the bath, then scatter over a layer of crocks. Fill the bath two-thirds with compost

them well watered in dry weather.Clean straw or synthetic mulch fabricProtective nettingSeep hose (optional)April - June 20 minutesharvest from June to JulyWeed around your strawberry plants and remove any dead or dying leaves. Lift the foliage

condition - and you'll also save yourself some pennies when it comes to the annual service.Mow lawns and trim new edgesDig compost into borders to improve water retention Add copper rings to pots to protect plants from slugs and snailsAround the garden

, 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

of how interested in wildlife the owners of these myriad plots actually are. I, and 54,450 others, registered with the scheme, and 26,197 actively participated in it by surveying wildlife or reporting changing garden activities.It turns out I am not a

the gardener, but is a desert for insects. So in front of the Bar we laid a strip of wildlife turf, which is enriched with dozens of wildflowers and nine different types of grass. We'll grow it long, then cut it, as we do the wildflower meadow, just twice a

-flowered varieties, which are available in a wonderful range of colours. Cyclamen seed10cm potSeeds & cuttings compostVermiculite Sheet of glassBlack polytheneJuly - August15 minutesJanuary - MarchBefore sowing, soak the cyclamen seeds in warm water for at least 12