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Beech leaves are among the slowest deciduous foliage to break down, making them perfect for Christmas decorations. Combine them with elegant poppy seed heads and spray with silver paint to show off their intricate structure and add sparkle to your Christmas tree. Don't worry if y...

Bird tables can be improved with a living, green roof that looks attractive and encourages more wildlife to visit your garden. The best plants to use for green roofs on your bird table are sedums, as they can withstand drought and grow on poor soil

. The fern can be replanted in the garden.More advice on growing shade-loving plantsGrowing shade-loving hostas.Creating a pot display of begonias and ferns.Potting up a shade-tolerant display of ferns, violets and hostas.Learn how to take begonia cuttings.

Most herbs originate in hot, dry climates and dislike our cold, wet winters. Growing them in pots is therefore perfect because they can be brought under cover for the winter. Serrated-leaved lavender is an attractive alternative to ordinary lavender

Chris Beardshaw demonstrates how to prune an old viburnum, removing sideshoots and woody growth to reinvigorate the plant and encourage flowering.springMore advice on pruning plantsHow to prune shrub rosesAdvice on pruning techniquesHow to summer-prune wisteria

The colour combination of pink and yellow creates a refreshing display, blending pretty marguerites and pink begonias with the peachy pompoms of verbena. Play up the cottage-garden look with a rustic basket, and decorate the sides with a trail

the proportions of this container, and rises above the pratia's low-growing mat of leaves and pale-blue flowers, while the Gypsophila cerastiodes blankets the metal and pebbles to soften it.March - April June - August20 minutesAlpine pink, Dianthus 'Fusilier

or lightly shaded, sheltered spot against a fence or wall.AdamGive your roses a boost with a slow-release fertiliser in March and again in July.More advice on growing rosesAdvice on dealing with rose rust.How to prevent rose bloom balling.Taking rose cuttings

-garden style, floating like balloons above the feathery foliage of Cosmos 'Sensation' and its delicate, pink petals. Use a large container for this display, as this combination of plants reaches 1m in height. Prevent the planting scheme from looking too top

, and Helleborus niger, the Christmas rose, which starts to flush pink in January and February.Januarywinteran hourHelleborus niger 10cm pot x3Carex buchananii 2 litre pot x130cm satin zinc cube potPeat free, multi-purpose compostElectric drillCrocksWatering can