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What a spring we're having. Provisional Met Office reports suggest April was the warmest on record. It was also the 11th driest, based on average rainfall across the UK. Scotland's rainfall has been 110% above normal levels, while the South-East has

I'm always looking for ways to make wildlife in my garden feel more welcome and at home. After all, it has just as much right to be there as I do. Of course I question the big things (can I justify having a lawn and patio, or would creatures prefer

If you have been struck by the sad plight of the battery hen recently and wish to do something about it then remember one important fact: chickens are rubbish gardeners. Forget the fanciful notion you had of having fluffy feathered folk strutting

In the words of Benny Hill: "I'll never know how a rose can smell so sweet and pure, And hold its head up high when it's standing in manure!".Old Benny cannot have been much of a gardener (a statement borne out by the fact that he lived all his life

That warm Saturday (April 26th) brought out the first butterflies of the year: holly blue, small tortoiseshell and speckled wood. They're all common garden species, but I always get a thrill when I see any of them.The female holly blue

as great gobbets of turf and topsoil are heaped into enormous piles and then, slowly, from the chaos, a pond emerges.I know this is very different from many people's experience of building a pond as this is a garden which is bigger than most

after flowering to promote new growth, which you can use over winter.May-OctoberMay-October30 minutesBay, Laurus nobilis x1Flat-leaf parsley, Petroselinum crispum x1French tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus x1Greek sage, Salvia officinalis 'Greek' x2Lemon

about 1cm apart. Lightly cover with a thin layer of compost then stand pot or tray in water to moisten.When the seedlings are a few inches tall, prick them out and transplant into fresh compost. Once established, transplant seedlings into the garden, 10-15

two years for your ball shape to fully develop.Find out how to create more topiary shapes, in Alan Titchmarsh's feature in the November 2011 issue of Gardeners' World Magazine, on sale now. Alan explains how to make a range of shapes, including cones

of humming birds or bats, although these plants are unlikely to be found in Britain. The hazel uses a much more basic method: anemophily, or wind pollination.So, very sensibly, the hazel catkins appear at a time of year when there is certain to be some decent