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and family.Collect leaves as they fall to make leaf-mould Leave out sunflower seed heads for the birds to feed onCollect up all watering kit to store in the shedAround the gardenTake cuttings of your favourite rosesTidy borders by cutting down perennials past

plants will provide you with enough fruit for an early taste of summer.Keep window bird feeders topped up with seed Wash out flowerpots and seed traysMove patio pots to sheltered sites during cold periodsAround the gardenDig up congested clumps of winter

visiting my plot. I put seed out for them which the pigeons couldn't reach (they had their own), and fashioned a snow-proof feeding station using an umbrella, which sheltered the birds and seed from snow. I left chopped apples in the borders. Everything

the ground at speed. It is now upright, though it has acquired a worrying wobble. Interestingly, the birds were still feeding from it when it was still flat on the ground. I wonder if they were the usual locals, or were they looters?We also had some

I’ve just been outside picking strawberries. Despite the colder nights my plants are still fruiting away and I hope they’ll have enough energy left to fruit again at the right time next year.None of the fruits have been damaged by birds – perhaps

, the birds have been gathering grass, moss and dead leaves for the last fortnight, sneaking them through a gap above the shed door and constructing their nest within. The gap is too small for any marauding predators, and Chris, my mother-in-law, has vowed

.Plants are infested with tiny, sap-feeding, scale-like insects packed around the stems and leaves.First try to remove them with your thumbnail. If there are too many, use an insecticidal soap spray. Alternatively, leave them for the birds to pick off. In a greenhouse

an egg into the acorn, it alsoinjects a cocktail of chemicals that causes the acorn's growth to be interrupted. Then as the grub feeds inside it too secretes chemicals thatalter the normal development of the acorn forcing it to grow into the knopper

by the tendency of these little birds to strip yellow flowers, such as crocus, but so what? And don't forget that the adults not only eat weed seeds, but they also feed their young with insects and their larvae. All-in-all, sparrows are a delight and a help

, such as clover. Many pesticides just kill them.Our gardens are fast becoming refuges for bees - especially some species of bumblebee, which are happy to nest in wild corners, bird boxes and under sheds. Many also come into our gardens to feed. Sadly some species