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they put up a fight. That's why they're so successful.Bittercress continues to frustrate me, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Barely has a seedling had time to get established than it's flowering, then forming seed pods. And those pods have a trick up

on such small bits of card!Another is a series of fifty garden flowers ranging from delphiniums and water lilies to annuals like bright red salvias and candytuft. Each card has a bit of information and some hints about cultivation written by Richard Sudell - who

ways. The oldest variety I grow, and the earliest to flower, is 'St Ewe', which I planted directly into my border soil. Now I wouldn't claim my clay soil is ideal for camellias, which enjoy a lime-free and water-retentive soil, but this one has

On Saturday I returned home after five days at the Chelsea Flower Show. As often happens when I return after being away at this time of year, everything has tripled in size, including the weeds. The winner is a rodgersia, which is now obstructing

as if hit by frost. It flowered extremely well but there are no pods and none of the exuberant growth". I didn't have much idea what could have caused this problem, so wasn't able to offer a useful solution.In a very spooky Twilight Zone moment, the very

spread!Earlier today I watched as a dozen or more bees eagerly flitted here and there, visiting the clover flowers. Far from being a weedy embarrassment my lawn is actually a wildlife haven.Earlier in the day my daughter commented on the numerous

central and southern America. That, at least, was a successful biocontrol story. Incidentally, students of William Robinson may have noticed that in early editions (1880s) of The English Flower Garden, he promoted Japanese knotweed as 'undoubtedly one

hoped the clover would fix nitrogen in the soil, which would directly feed the chillies and encourage new leaves to grow. This seemed to work, and before long the plants were in full leaf and flower and attracting lots of hoverflies.I did get some

to take matters into their own hands. We went out the other morning to discover both of them upended in the flower bed digging an enormous hole in an effort to chase down the offending mole. Sadly, though charming, they're not terribly good at either

as not to increase petrol consumption, and the less mud the better I suppose, if you love your car.Seriously though, there are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint, and driving around with a load of flowers on your roof probably wouldn't cut it. Planting trees