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sturdy wooden stakesSledgehammerBow sawStrong wireall year round1 dayClear the area where you're going to put the compost bin and, if necessary, level the ground using a spade or a rake.Take a pallet and stand it on its long edge to form the back edge

end pieces, adding an extra 1cm along the top edge of each piece to form a lip above the top of the box. Measure the thickness of the slate and add double this to the length of the longer side pieces. If you're using broken slates, you'll need to plan

've grown something unique, but there are many lovely varieties to choose from. Just to whet your appetite why not try growing:Tulipa 'Belicia', with double flowers that change colour from lemon edged crimson to white with red edges.T. 'Candy Club

in a tree or building away from predators, strong sunlight and wind. A north-east facing spot is best.1.5m x 15cm x 1.25cm piece of untreated, sawn timber20cm x 2.5cm nails, 3cm x 2.5cm self-tapping screwsDrill and 25mm, 28mm or 32mm wood drill bit (see

Plastic-coated grillePlastic reservoirPebblesSpirit level, jug and trowelSpade and ready-mix cementall year round1 afternoonChoose a site for your water hammer and dig a hole that's deep and wide enough to hold the water reservoir.Lay a length of wood across the top

and kept below their normal height. They're not much good if you're looking for flowers, but for sheer well-cut elegance you can't really go wrong. You know the sort of thing: yew hedges with razor edges, parasols of pleached lime and frost-dusted box

, but then she also grew a lot of other things universally regarded as supremely tasteful and fashionable. Dianthus make a very charming edging plant with lots of colour (provided you like pink) and most of them are fabulously scented. If you don't like pink

curtains (bear with me, this sort of makes sense). Midsummer borders would be all brocade and swags and ferluffles, while late-summer curtains would be a lot simpler and probably with a few spiders' webs along the edges.I think, perhaps, it's time

've seen some really exciting varieties in commercial seed trials, like the flower, pictured above, that isn't yet available to buy. However, similar cosmos are on sale, such as the double and semi-double flowers on Cosmos 'Double Click'. It grows to 120cm

at first look unappealing and unattractive, they are nevertheless home to 12–14 per cent of all our red data book and nationally scarce insect species; that’s more than you find in ancient woodlands or on chalk downs.The reason they are so important