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Around the gardenLift dahlia tubers or protect those left in the ground Sow sweet peas now Collect seeds and berries from shrubs and flowering plantsFlowersLift and store carrots Pot up herbs to bring under cover for winter useSow green manure crops over bare areas

and cuttings if you can enclose a small volume of air around their pots and trays, using a covered propagator. An electric heated propagator or mat will increase the speed of germination and rooting. Prices start at under £5 for an unheated propagator

Horticultural fleece and pegsFebruary to June30 minutes, to sow the seedsFill pots or seed trays with good quality, multi-purpose compost and firm gently. Scatter the seed thinly on the surface, cover with a few millimetres of compost, water and keep moist

, but for the most of us garden wildlife means the insects that are always about, always different, and always fascinating. Except when there is snow on the ground.When there is snow cover, nothing moves. So I was curious to see what would be the first insect

without drainage holesmid-April - July 20 minutes to plantharvest all year round depending on the cropHarden off greenhouse-raised plants if necessary by standing them in a sheltered spot outdoors for a week before planting.Before putting into the ground

Nearly back to normal now, after Christmas and New Year. Sunday saw us with 3-year-old scooting in Dulwich Park. Thankfully there was no wind, because it was blisteringly cold, and the ground was still covered in frost. So when I saw a small bird

it's good to be getting something back into the lovely, clean beds. Hopefully, with the belated April showers we've been having lately, the seedlings will be up and away at a rate of knots, and young plants will be covering the ground before the weeds

Earlier this year my wisteria died: a tragic episode about which I wrote here (and here, actually, as well). The most obvious upshot of this was the fact that we were then left with a big expanse of naked wall that needed covering, smartish. Rather

and manhole covers. Position several over the patio site to work with, using a spirit level to ensure they're even.For a random design, place several slabs on the ground to help you decide which shapes interlock well together. Alternatively, cut out pieces

spiralling growth habit, has fleshy white roots that reach out in every direction and can go many feet into the ground. All the topsoil in my garden (formerly a concrete covered farmyard) was imported so a little bit must have come in with it and has spread