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. Undeterred, I thought I’d try something else for 2013: yew, Taxus baccata. I’m very fond of yew; I love seeing gnarled old trees in graveyards, exploring the patterns and fissures of their bark. Left alone, yews can grow for centuries. One specimen

, such as wheat. The little birds prefer the small seeds, while the pigeons are less than impressed. I cram fat balls (without nets) into peanut feeders or place them on top of the hedge. I also cut apples or pears in half and put them, cut surface uppermost

and watering the birds. Recent visitors include 32 sparrows, three robins, masses of assorted tits and hordes of blackbirds, all happily feasting on the hedge in front of our house.Before light the blackbirds are feasting on the cut apples, bird seed and fat

’s cypress, but also sometimes on Leylandii. There are several other previously juniper-feeding bugs now found on these garden hedging plants, but this is the prettiest.I’m not suggesting that cypresses should be preserved for their special food-plant status

out of the ground when dormant. They weigh less and require less maintenance than container-grown plants, so are therefore cheaper. Bargains are to be had at garden centres and nurseries between now and March, so if you’re planning on growing a hedge

Last week, Butterfly Conservation published a report called The State of Britain's Larger Moths 2013. It makes a depressing read, demonstrating a marked decline in the number of our larger moths over the last 40 years. The survey, conducted

is exposed, you might wish to put up fences, screens or even hedging. When the kit arrives, check thoroughly that all components are there, and read the instructions carefully.Once the structure is up, add a path, if necessary, using paving slabs, bricks