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flowers, thickets and wilderness?), but it's amazing how important the little things are. I see it time and time again, like the value of topping up the bird bath throughout the year, leaving apple windfalls for the blackbirds, or leaving the coriander

and have one snuffling about in the bushes nearby or see one bounding across one of the paths.Then round the corner there's a fight between a grey squirrel and a magpie. The bird is showing its characteristic persistence by hopping and fluttering back

transfer to my newly cut down borders.I try and leave anything with a decent structure standing for as long as possible to give sustenance to small birds (and probably mice), as well as on the off chance that we might have a frost and everything

which is often used by commercial growers.My sister in law never nets her tree and still has plenty of fruit after the birds have had a peck. Morellos flower later than sweet cherries, which is an advantage in parts of the country susceptible to late

of this Chelsea perfection in my own garden. But then it wouldn't be mine. I like my scruffy, battered, half-eaten plants. I like the fact that there are caterpillars available for the birds to feed their chicks with, though I could do without the pigeons

if you have a family to feed.I don't have the luxury of a large allotment, so I'm keen to grow as much as I can in my garden. It's probably larger than average, but then gardening is my passion, and my job!Fruit trees and cane fruits grow around the edges

of interesting things about oaks:1. Oaks are host to an awful lot of insects, lichens and birds - not to mention the various fungi that hang around the root systems.2. Because of the number of feeding insects, oak leaves look a bit shabby by July but

will be reduced, while caterpillar food plants could die through lack of water, taking the caterpillars (and therefore butterflies) with them. The dry, hard ground will make life hard for robins and blackbirds looking for worms to feed themselves and their young

Whether you're barbecuing, roasting, casseroling or cooking poultry in a crock, herbs can greatly enhance the flavour. They can be chopped and mixed with salt and rubbed into or under the skin. Handfuls can also be put into the cavity of the bird

, but hates the shade of my current plot.A crab apple, in the hope that I can cultivate mistletoe on it.A large patch of nettles, for butterflies and ladybirds.Hawthorn, for its spring blossom, hedging potential and autumn berries. The fruits not only feed